Biden maintains lead in Nevada: poll

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is leading the Democratic presidential field among Nevada voters, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) closely trailing in second, according to a new poll. 

Biden maintained his lead in Nevada, with 23 percent support among potential Democratic caucus goers, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. Sanders registered as a close second, at 17 percent support, based on the poll. 

Both Sanders’s and Biden’s support decreased 1 point since a November poll of the state. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), however, saw a larger 6-point drop since the last poll and is now tied with Tom Steyer who saw a surge in support. The two are even at 12 percent each. 

Steyer’s 7-point increase of support in Nevada, along with a separate Fox News poll released the same day showing a surge for the billionaire in South Carolina, appears to have allowed him to qualify for next week’s debate.

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a distant fifth in Nevada at 6 percent support. Andrew Yang trails him at 4 percent, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is at 3 percent, based on the poll.

The race could change greatly before next month’s caucuses, however, with 51 percent of polled Nevada Democrats saying they could change their mind before Feb. 22. 

The same poll found that Biden leads Trump by 8 points in Nevada, and he is the only Democrat polled against the president to have a lead over Trump outside the poll’s margin of error in the state. Sanders has a 3-point lead over Trump in a general election match-up and Warren and Buttigieg each lead the president by 1 point in the silver state. 

The poll was conducted between Jan. 5 and Jan. 8 and surveyed 1,505 Nevada voters, including 636 identified as potential participants in the Democratic caucus. The poll’s margin of error is 2.5 percentage points for all registered voters and is 4 points for Democratic caucus goers.