Bernie Leading In The Polls For 2020 Election

A new Iowa poll of likely caucus-goers, conducted by the Des Moines Register and CNN, shows Bernie Sanders leading Democratic primary candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination. Twenty-seven percent of respondents chose Sanders as their top pick.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who hasn’t officially announced his candidacy, trails close behind, at 25 percent. Iowa has long been considered an important battleground state since the Iowa caucus gives an early indication of which candidates have strong support among likely voters–and which candidates are losing steam.

The same poll showed plummeting support for former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke, who challenged Republican Ted Cruz for a seat in the U.S. Senate last fall. O’Rourke lost his Senate race but surged in national popularity, especially among Millenials and other young voters. But the Des Moines Register and CNN poll showed O’Rourke earning only 5 percent of likely voters’ support.

Besides Sanders and Biden, no other Democratic candidate broke through the 10 percent mark in the new poll. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren got 9 percent of the vote, followed by California Senator Kamala Harris at 7 percent. Senators Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar each got 3 percent.

Several big-name candidates who are leading in fundraising–including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York–didn’t even break the 1 percent mark. Despite his senior citizen status, Bernie Sanders is most popular with young voters, showing a 9-point lead over Joe Biden among voters under 45.

Fifty-four percent of all respondents say Sanders is leading the Democratic party in the right direction. But 43 percent aren’t as enthused, saying Sanders’ views are wrong for the party and he should step aside.