Polls bring good news for Sanders, Steyer
But heading into next debate, it’s hard to tell who’s ahead
Just in time for Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, new polls show surges by Sen. Bernie Sanders and billionaire Tom Steyer. But the polls also suggest there’s no dominant candidate in the race to defeat President Donald Trump.
❚ Bernie solid in Iowa: Three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows 20% of likely Democratic caucusgoers name Sanders as their first choice for president.
After a surge of enthusiasm that pushed Pete Buttigieg to the top of the field in November, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor has faded, falling 9 percentage points to land behind Sanders and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Warren is at 17%; Buttigieg, 16%; and former Vice President Joe Biden, 15%.
“There’s no denying that this is a good poll for Bernie Sanders. He leads, but it’s not an uncontested lead,” said J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll. “He’s got a firmer grip on his supporters than the rest of his compatriots.”
The poll of 701 likely Democratic caucusgoers was conducted Jan. 2-8 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
It found that 40% of respondents had decided which candidate to support, up from 30% in November.
“The caucus process is an invitation to keep an open mind,” Selzer said, noting that the Iowa Poll produced similar numbers of undecided caucusgoers at the same point during 2016’s crowded Republican primary.
❚ Biden strong, Steyer rising: The former vice president is leading in Nevada at 23%, according to a Fox News poll. Sanders follows at 17%. Steyer and Warren are next at 12%.
In a separate Fox News South Carolina poll, Biden again led the pack with 36% support. Steyer was in second place with 15%, followed by Sanders at 14% and Warren at 10%.
His showing in the two polls put Steyer into Tuesday’s debate field, along with Biden, Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. In November polls, Steyer was at just 5% in Nevada and 4% in South Carolina.
❚ Tossup in New Hampshire: There is no clear front-runner here, according to a new Monmouth Poll.
Buttigieg leads the Democratic field with 20% support among registered state Democrats and unaffiliated voters who are likely to participate in the February primary, the poll shows. He is followed closely by Biden with 19%, Sanders with 18% and Warren at 15%.
❚ Another hurdle: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said a looming impeachment trial and other pressing issues in Washington could deal a “big, big blow” to his campaign by keeping him away from Iowa in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 caucuses.
Booker is one of five senators running for the Democratic nomination who could wind up sitting in the Senate chamber as jurors in Trump’s trial instead of barnstorming Iowa.
❚ Let them in: Steyer unveiled an immigration proposal seeking to make immigrants fleeing the effects of climate change eligible for legal entry into the United States.
Like a lot of his White House rivals, Steyer is promising to use executive action to reinstate Obama administration protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. He’d do the same to nullify Trump’s Muslim ban and end the separation of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The environmental activist from California also would seek to decriminalize illegal border crossings and work with Congress to approve a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in the U.S. illegally. And Steyer wants to adequately fund agencies that foster legal immigration, which he argues have seen their budgets shrink as previous administrations poured more federal money into border enforcement.
Contributing: Associated Press