Two new polls released on Wednesday showed a close race between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
A CNN poll released on Wednesday showed Sanders ahead of Biden nationally for the first time, albeit by just a few points.
The poll showed that 27 percent of registered Democrats back Sanders while 24 percent support Biden.
Both men have a significant lead over the rest of the field. The poll showed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 14 percent, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 11 percent, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg at 5 percent, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 4 percent, entrepreneur Andrew Yang at 4 percent, and former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer at 2 percent.
Sanders’ support increased by 7 points since that last CNN poll last month.
Monmouth poll shows Biden ahead:
A new Monmouth Poll that dropped on the same day showed Biden leading the pack.
The poll showed Biden at 30 percent and Sanders trailing behind at 23 percent.
As with the other poll, all of the other candidates are pretty far behind.
The poll shows Warren at 14 percent, Bloomberg at 9 percent, Buttigieg at 6 percent, Klobuchar at 4 percent, and Yang at 3 percent.
“With the exception of Bloomberg’s entry, this race looks pretty much like it did six months ago,” said Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray. “But that stability masks the potential for sizable swings once the first contests are held. Iowa and New Hampshire will play a major role in shaping national voter preferences.”
Biden leads in Iowa:
There is no national primary but voting kicks off within days in the Iowa caucuses. Two new polls showed Biden leading the pack with 24 percent, six points ahead of the next candidate, after it appeared that candidates like Sanders, Warren, and Buttigieg might rise into the lead.
In New Hampshire, Sanders, Buttigieg, and Biden have been in first place in recent polls.
Delegates are divided fairly evenly among all of the candidates who receive 15 percent of the vote or more, so the first two contests appear to be headed for a two- or three-way split.
