Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is gaining on former Vice President Joe Biden in the battle for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
While Biden collected 31% of Democratic primary voters in the poll released Tuesday, Warren was closing in on the top spot with 25%. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the only other candidate in double digits, came in third with 14% in the poll that was conducted shortly after the Dems’ third debate in Houston last week.
Rounding out the top five was South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 7% and California Senator Kamala Harris with 5%. And although Buttigieg didn’t lose ground, Harris fell back 8 points since a similar NBC/WSJ poll conducted after the first Democratic debate in late June.
The NBC/WSJ poll is similar to other national polls in recent weeks—the results showing Biden on top with either Warren or Sanders trailing. But the only difference is Warren, who has been gaining likely voters and seeing her popularity rise, as evidenced by a reported 20,000 people attending a rally in New York City on Monday.
Warren and Biden were the only candidates who saw their support grow since the NBC/WSJ in July. Warren’s support grew by 6%, while Biden saw his climb by 5%.
Among those polled, about 70% of Democratic primary voters said they are enthusiastic about or comfortable with Warren, compared to about 64% who had similar thoughts about Biden. That’s a significant decrease for Biden, however, as he had 73% of likely voters who said they were enthusiastic or comfortable with him in March, according to the poll.
Also, about 62% polled said they were enthusiastic about or comfortable with Sanders, as some 37% said they had some reservations about him or were uncomfortable with him. That uneasiness with Sanders is higher compared to 35% for Biden and 21% for Warren.
The poll also shows that among likely voters’ combined first and second choice for president, Warren was at 45% (a 13-point increase since the NBC/WSJ July poll), compared to Biden at 41% and Sanders with 29%. Buttigieg came in fourth with 19%. Meanwhile, Harris came in fifth with 14%, a 14-point decrease since the July poll.
The poll also indicated that Biden remains strong among moderate and conservative Democrats. And, among African-American voters, a key demographic, Biden had 49%, as Warren trailed with 13%, and Sanders at 5%. Harris, whose support is plummeting, had 10% support among African-American voters polled.
With ideology among liberals, Warren had 36% compared to 19% apiece for Biden and Sanders. Biden fared well with moderates and conservatives with 42%, followed by Warren with 15% and Sanders and Buttigieg each at 7%.
The NBC/WSJ poll, conducted on September 13-16, queried 506 registered voters who said they would vote in a Democratic caucus or primary. The poll had a plus or minus margin of error of 4.36%.
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