Biden Plummets Below Sanders and Warren for First Time in Major National Poll

By Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone

27 August 19

The former vice president finds himself trailing for the first time in the latest Monmouth University poll

oe Biden’s presidential campaign has been characterized largely by a string of gaffes — from saying poor kids are “just as bright as white kids,” to, most recently, confusing Vermont and New Hampshire. It looks like they may finally have caught up with him.

In a new national poll released Monday, Monmouth University found the former vice president trailing in the Democratic primary for the first time. The poll has Biden clocking in with 19 percent support, down a whopping 13 points from the 32 percent he registered when the poll was last conducted, in June. Ahead of Biden are Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who comes in at 20 percent, up 6 points from June, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who also comes in at 20 percent after garnering 15 percent in June.

Despite Biden’s gaffe-heavy campaign, which has included two shaky debate performances, he has long held a sizable lead over the pack of 20-plus candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. He benefitted from high name recognition, his connection to former President Barack Obama, and head-to-head polls suggesting he’d beat President Trump in a general election.

The poll, which has a margin of error of 5.7 percent, could be an aberration — RealClearPolitics currently has Biden polling at an average of 27.2 percent, compared to 16.7 for the second-place Sanders — but the results have to be concerning for Biden’s campaign, especially considering the respective surges from Sanders and Warren.

And if the results are repeated in subsequent surveys, the Monmouth University poll released Monday will have revealed a significant shift in the public’s thinking, indicating Biden’s constant missteps may finally be taking a toll on his standing.