Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) would lead the Democrat field if twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were to jump in the race in place of Joe Biden (D), a McLaughlin & Associates poll released this week found.
According to recent reports from both the New York Times and Washington Post, Clinton has not taken a 2020 run off the table and is, instead, keeping tabs on the growing distress among some members of the Democrat Party, who are unhappy with the current selection of candidates.
“Hillary Clinton, according to two people close to her, has not ruled out jumping in herself, a sign that she is hearing similar dissatisfaction,” the Washington Post reported.
“But put it this way: It ain’t zero. And does she think about it all the time? Absolutely,” a source said, according to the Post.
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is reportedly conducting himself the same way, telling those close to him that he would consider jumping in the race if Biden falters.
“Bloomberg is in if Biden is out,” a “New York billionaire with ties to Bloomberg,” told CNBC.
While the Times adds that the chances of either jumping in the race are “remote,” it indicates that Democrats close to the potential candidates “believe the only scenario under which they’d consider running is if Mr. Biden drops out or is badly weakened.”
A McLaughlin & Associates October 2019 poll released this week examined that scenario, taking Biden out of the equation and putting both Clinton and Bloomberg in the race.
While Bloomberg’s presence does not appear to make a significant impact, Biden’s absence and Clinton’s addition would cause Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to rise to the top of the national field with 23 percent support. Under the scenario, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) would maintain her top tier status with 20 percent support, followed by Clinton with ten percent support. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) would also gain a notable boost, coming right behind Clinton with nine percent support.
Andrew Yang (D) would also enjoy a bump, jumping to six percent, followed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) with five percent support, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) with four percent support, and Beto O’Rourke (D) with three percent support. The remaining candidates would garner two percent support or less. That includes Bloomberg, who would only see one percent support:
However, the poll found Biden leading the race as is with 28 percent support, followed by Sanders with 18 percent support and Warren with 16 percent:
The McLaughlin & Associates National Survey was taken October 17-22 among 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
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