Flurry of new polls shows Biden continues to lead in Democratic race

A flurry of new Democratic primary polls have been released in the last several days, giving a clearer picture of the 2020 presidential race nationwide.

Joe Biden continues to lead the pack, although not by an overwhelming margin. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are next behind the former vice president, with similar levels of support.

California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg form a third tier in the single digits.

Warren’s steady rise since April makes her the only candidate whose support has consistently grown. Harris, Buttigieg and a few other candidates have had brief spikes in support, but haven’t sustained it.

(Chris Keller / Los Angeles Times)

A few other candidates, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former Housing Secretary Julián Castro have registered between 1% and 3% in several polls, but most in the large Democratic field of hopefuls have negligible support.

One poll earlier this week, from Monmouth University, drew considerable attention because it showed a sharp drop in Biden’s support from a CNN poll earlier in the month.

The Monmouth poll’s director, Patrick Murray, issued a statement Wednesday saying that the evidence from other polls made clear that his survey was “an outlier” — a result that is “a product of the uncertainty that is inherent in the polling process.”

Note: The CNN poll surveyed 1,001 respondents between Aug. 15 and 18. The Monmouth University poll surveyed 298 registered voters between Aug. 16 and 20 who identify as or lean toward the Democratic Party. The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,422 self-identified registered voters nationwide between Aug. 21 and 26. The Suffolk University poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters nationwide between Aug. 20 and 25.

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