Poll: Biden Way Ahead of Second Place Bernie in Favorability Ratings

More than 20 Democrats are in the race for the Democrat presidential nomination but latecomer former Vice President Joe Biden is way ahead of the pack, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll issued on Tuesday.

“With a 49 – 39 percent favorability rating, former Vice President Joseph Biden is the only presidential contender, Democrat or Republican, with a clear positive score,” the polling group reports on its findings.

“Biden is the top pick for the party nomination among 35 percent of Democrats or voters leaning Democratic,” the polling group reports. “Sanders has 16 percent, with 13 percent for Warren, 8 percent for Harris and 5 percent for Buttigieg. No other Democrat tops 3 percent, with most less than 1 percent. “

For the rest of the Democrats, the favorability ratings are “negative or mixed:”

• 41 favorable to 48 percent unfavorable for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont;

• 32 favorable to 41 percent unfavorable for Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts;

• 27 percent favorable to 30 percent for Sen. Kamala Harris of California;

• 20 percent favorable to 32 percent unfavorable for former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas;

• 23 percent favorable to 31 percent unfavorable for Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey;

• 23 percent favorable and 19 percent unfavorable for South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg

• 8 percent favorable to 45 percent unfavorable for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“It’s former Vice President Joseph Biden and then there’s everyone else, descending from Sen. Bernie Sanders to Sen. Elizabeth Warren to Sen. Kamala Harris to a bunch of people most Democrats have never heard of,” Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said. 

The telephone survey was conducted from May 16 – 20, 2019 across the country and included 1,078 “self-identified” registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percent.

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