Bernie Sanders Tops Iowa Poll Ahead of Caucuses

Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) rides on a elevator after arr
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is maintaining a comfortable lead in Iowa heading into Monday evening’s statewide caucuses, an Emerson College/7 News Iowa poll released Sunday indicated.

The socialist senator has been leading in Iowa polls in recent weeks, and the latest Emerson College poll was no exception, showing Sanders leading the field with 28 percent support. Joe Biden (D) came in seven points behind with 21 percent support, followed by Pete Buttigieg (D) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who were separated by one percentage point with 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) came in fifth place with eleven percent support, but no other candidates received double-digit support.

Andrew Yang (D) saw five percent support, followed by Tom Steyer (D), who garnered four percent. No other candidate received support surpassing one percent.

The survey was taken January 30-February 2, 2020, among 853 likely Democrat caucusgoers. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percent:

According to Emerson, Sunday’s results represented a “slight shift” from the previous poll taken last week, with a two-point drop for Sanders and Klobuchar, five-point boost for Buttigieg, and three-point uptick for Warren. Biden’s support remained steady.

As the poll shows, only three candidates reached the required 15 percent viability threshold, meaning the voters’ second choice preferences could have a significant impact on the results.

Forty-six percent of Warren supporters chose Sanders as their second choice candidate, while 25 percent chose Klobuchar. Forty-one percent of Klobuchar’s supporters chose Biden, followed by Warren with 26 percent support and Buttigieg closely behind with 23 percent. Buttigieg’s supporters appear more divided on their second choice preference, with 30 percent choosing Klobuchar, 22 percent settling for Warren, 19 percent going with Sanders, and 18 percent selecting Biden.

Monday’s RealClearPolitics average shows Sanders leading the field in the Hawkeye State with a four-point advantage over Biden:

The caucuses will begin at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

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