A new Democratic poll released Wednesday shows former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders neck-and-neck in South Carolina, with billionaire activist Tom Steyer not far behind.
The poll, first released to The Hill, was conducted by the Change Research for the Democratic group The Welcome Party. Biden and Sanders are tied at 23% each, with Steyer in second place at 20%.
Only one other candidate, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, had double digits at 15%.
The online poll was conducted Feb. 12-14 among 1,015 likely South Carolina voters.
Nationally, a new ABC News-Washington Post poll shows Sanders with a double-digit lead over the remaining seven candidates in the race.
Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, has jumped to a double-digit lead on the 2020 Democratic primary field, appearing to cement his position as the front-runner to win the party's presidential nomination, according to a new ABC News-Washington Post poll.
In his biggest lead so far, Sanders came in with 32% to Biden's 17%. Michael Bloomberg, who will make his first debate appearance Wednesday night in Las Vegas, came in third with 14%.
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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren received 11%, while Buttigieg came in at 7%. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has 6%.
Biden has been counting on a strong showing among South Carolina’s African American voters after poor finishes in the nationally ridiculed Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Indeed, Biden left New Hampshire before election night to head to South Carolina.
“We can’t expect independent voters to turn out for an election or even a candidate if we don’t seek their vote,” said Welcome Party co-chair Lauren Harper. “The Democratic Party truly can’t afford to ignore these swing voters who hold the keys to Democratic success up and down the ballot. Shifting to being the party that welcomes in a majority and governs for progress requires talking with swing voters — not just about them.”
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Harper’s organization is seeking to court independent voters ahead of the Feb. 29 primary.
Early voting began last Saturday for the Nevada Democratic Caucus, set for this Saturday, Feb. 22. Nevada Democrats have vowed not to repeat the debacle that was the Iowa caucus, Democrats’ first big political event of 2020 that turned into a circus of delays, glitches and fodder for President Donald Trump and Republicans.
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