Poll: Joe Biden surges, Elizabeth Warren plummeting in Dem race

Joe Biden is back atop the Democratic presidential field in a new national poll released today by Quinnipiac University.

Biden is at 24 percent among Democrats and Dem-leading independents. South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg is second at 16 percent, with Warren at 14 percent and Bernie Sanders at 13 percent.

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who just formally entered the race in the past few days, is at 3 percent.

Warren had been at the head of the field in Quinnipiac’s most recent polling, released on Oct. 24, at 28 percent, to Biden’s 21, Sanders’ 15 and Buttigieg’s 10.

“Biden is back on top of the pack, but now there is a three-way race for second. Buttigieg has broken into the top tier, apparently at the expense of Warren, who has taken a dive after being hammered for being too far left on health care and other issues,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

Biden continues to dominate the field on electability, as almost half, 46 percent, of Democratic voters and independent voters who lean Democratic view him as the candidate who has the best chance of winning against Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Warren and Sanders get 10 percent each, and 6 percent say Buttigieg.

In today’s poll, a plurality, 35 percent, say someone who can win the general election in 2020 is the most important candidate quality in deciding who to vote for in the Democratic primary for president, with 19 percent each for “honesty” and “cares about people like you,” 18 percent saying “good leadership skills,” and 5 percent saying “intelligence.”

There is more support among Democratic voters and independent voters who lean Democratic for allowing people to buy into Medicare than replacing the current system with Medicare for All, although both are popular among these voters.

While 71 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners think it is a good idea to allow all adults the option of buying into Medicare, 59 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners think it is a good idea to remove the current health care system and replace it with a single payer system.

Story by Chris Graham