A series of polls released this week indicates a competitive race for the Democrat nomination, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) leading in delegate-rich California, Michael Bloomberg (D) jumping ahead in Florida, and Joe Biden (D) maintaining his narrowing lead in South Carolina.
In the first survey — a Monmouth University Poll taken February 16-19, 2020, among 408 California voters likely to vote in the March 3 Democrat primary — Sanders continues to hold his lead in the Super Tuesday state of California with 24 percent support. Biden comes in second with 17 percent support, and Bloomberg rounds out the top tier with 13 percent support. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) came in fourth place with ten percent support, but no other candidate broke into the double digits.
“Sanders may get a decent delegate haul in the currently crowded field,” Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray said.
“But if it comes down to a two-person contest in California, Sanders could rack up two-thirds of available delegates and be well on his way to the nomination,” he added.
The margin of error is +/- 4.9 percentage points:
While Bloomberg, who is largely relying on a strong showing on Super Tuesday to continue his bid, is polling third in California, he has taken a solid lead in Florida, according to a St Petes Poll.
The survey, taken February 18-19, 2020 among 2,412 registered Democrats in Florida, shows Bloomberg surpassing Biden by five percentage points, 32 percent to 27 percent. Sanders falls to a distant third with 11 percent support, with the remaining candidates falling into the single digits. The margin of error is +/- 2 percent:
The third poll, a Winthrop Poll analyzing the race in South Carolina, showed Biden maintaining his lead, but Sanders gaining ground.
The survey, taken February 9-19, 2020, among 443 likely Democrat primary voters, showed Biden with 24 percent and Sanders just five points behind with 19 percent support.
“Flames seem to be licking through the cracks in Biden’s firewall. His support has dropped by double digits since the late September Winthrop Poll,” Winthrop Poll Director Dr. Scott Huffmon said.
“Without a strong showing in South Carolina, Biden’s campaign will be limping into Super Tuesday,” he added.
The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.7 percent:
Overall, the current RealClearPolitics average shows the three candidates, who are leading in each respective state — California, Florida, and South Carolina — comprising the top tier of candidates on a national level.