"We're going to win," declared Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday in response to a new national Emerson poll showing the Vermont senator and former Vice President Joe Biden tied for the top spot in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race.
Sanders and Biden are tied with 27% support, according to Emerson. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) polled in third place at 20%, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg trailed far behind at just 7%.
"Senator Bernie Sanders is gaining momentum in the race for the Democratic nomination, increasing 2 points from October," Emerson noted. Biden's support has held steady since Emerson's October survey, while Warren declined one percentage point.
The poll had a margin of error +/- 4.6% and a sample size of 468 likely Democratic voters.
"Biden and Sanders continue to hold their bases, which should concern Warren, as she has waited for one of the front runners to slip these past few months--yet, their support seems to be crystalizing," said Spencer Kimball, Director of Emerson Polling.
Compared to Biden, the Emerson poll found Sanders has much stronger support among key demographics. According to the survey, Sanders garnered 37% support from voters under 50 compared to Biden's 15%. Among Latino voters the split was 36% for Sanders and 23% for Biden. And for voters who identify as "very liberal," Sanders, not surprisingly, claimed 45% compared to Biden's 16%.
According to the new survey, the Vermont senator is the only 2020 Democrat leading President Donald Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.
