Poll: Biden leads 2020 Democratic field by 31 points in South Carolina

Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a sizable lead over the 2020 Democratic presidential field in a key primary state, according to a new Post and Courier-Change Research Poll. 

The survey, which was released on Sunday, found that 46 percent of likely Democratic voters in South Carolina, home to the nation’s third primary, favor Biden over the rest of the Democratic field. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is a distant second, with 15 percent of respondents saying they’d support him. 

{mosads}Meanwhile, 10 percent of likely South Carolina Democratic primary voters said they’d favor Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

The Post and Courier noted that Harris and Sanders’ support has remained steady in the state since February. Biden, on the other hand, has experienced a surge in support since officially launching his presidential campaign in late April. 

“He’s always been popular in South Carolina and always maintained good relationships here, so people were really excited about him getting in,” Kenneth Glover, chairman of the Orangeburg County Democratic Party, told The Post and Courier.

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) each earned support from eight percent of respondents. Four percent of likely primary voters said they’d support Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), while two percent said they’d favor former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas). 

The support for O’Rourke represented a seven-point slide from the previous month, according to the newspaper. 

Polls have increasingly shown that Biden and Sanders are the early favorites among the field of candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and recent surveys have shown Biden with a substantial lead over Sanders. 

A Morning Consult poll released last week found Biden had a 21-point lead over Sanders nationwide. 

The Post and Courier-Change Research Poll was conducted between May 6 and May 9 among a population of 595 likely South Carolina primary voters. The margin of error is four percent.