Biden expands lead over 2020 Democrats: poll

Former Vice President Joe Biden has widened his lead among fellow 2020 Democrats, with a new poll showing him atop the crowded field by double digits.

Twenty-nine percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters said they supported Biden in the CNN poll released early Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has 15 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is at 14 percent, according to CNN.

Biden’s support has risen 7 points since a survey conducted in late June, with no other candidate making significant improvements in polling numbers, CNN noted.

Biden’s supporters are more often self-identified Democrats than independents, older rather than younger, and are moderate and conservative voters instead of liberals, pollsters found.{mosads}

Thirty-one percent of self-identified Democrats, 34 percent of voters ages 45 and older, and 34 percent of moderate and conservative voters back Biden, according to the poll.

Biden’s support also comes from the 54 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters whose main goal is to boot President Trump from office in 2020, with 35 percent of individuals in that group supporting the former vice president.

While Biden’s support has increased, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has seen a notable decline in support, with 5 percent of potential Democratic voters backing the senator, compared to 17 percent in the June poll, which was conducted soon after the first round of Democratic presidential primary debates. Harris and Biden clashed during the first round of debates, with the California senator challenging Biden on his views on busing.

The new poll was conducted from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18 and surveyed 1,001 adult registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.