Hill.TV Host Krystal Ball said Tuesday that more and more news outlets are starting to treat Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
“For perhaps the first time, the media is actually starting to take Bernie seriously,” Ball said.
“I mean how many cable news segments have we had where he was just left out entirely?” she asked, echoing comments often made by Sanders allies, who argue the press often ignores or downplays his standing in polls.
A Suffolk University–USA Today poll released Tuesday showed Sanders topping Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as the two continue to jockey for second place in the crowded primary. Sanders boasted 14 percent support, with Warren at 13 percent.
Former Vice President Joe Biden remains the front-runner nationally with 23 percent support in the Suffolk University–USA Today survey.
Ball said that Sanders, the runner-up for the 2016 nomination, has “never been better positioned,” adding that the Vermont independent is “well within range” of capturing key early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls in New Hampshire, Sanders leads the pack at 19 percent. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) trails him there by less than 2 points at 17.7 percent. Biden places third at 14.3 percent followed by Warren at 13.3 percent.
The average of Iowa polls, meanwhile, shows Sanders in second place at 19.3 percent, only 3 points away from Buttigieg’s 22.5 percent.
—Tess Bonn
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