Joe Biden in Front on National Level but Behind in Iowa: Polls

Democratic Presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Davenport, Iowa, on Oct. 16, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading the field nationally in the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.

The survey (pdf) was released on Friday and conducted online among 1,810 registered voters between Oct. 29 and 31.

It is a collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and The Harris Poll and “weighted to reflect known demographics.”

The poll found that Biden is still going strong, with 33 percent of likely primary voters saying they were likely to vote for him.

His closest competitor in the campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), received 18 percent of the vote while 15 percent said they would vote for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll told The Hill: “Biden continues to lead the pack but most Democratic voters are open to switching and so his lead is somewhat precarious, especially given polls recent early states.”

He added: “Biden remains the one viewed as a centrist and most electable if the major candidates.”

The results are a representative online sample and full poll results will be posted online later this week.

It comes shortly after Biden’s campaign was delivered a blow in The New York Times/Siena College poll which was released on Friday.

The poll found that Biden was slipping into fourth place with 17 percent support in the state, while Warren led the way with 22 percent support.

Meanwhile Sanders received 19 percent support and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in third place with 18 percent of the vote.

Both polls were published on the same day that former lawmaker Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) announced he would be dropping out of the 2020 Democratic race.

In a statement, he said: “Our campaign has been about seeing clearly, speaking honestly, and acting decisively in the best interests of America.

“Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully. My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee. Acknowledging this now is in the best interests of those in the campaign; it is in the best interests of this party as we seek to unify around a nominee; and it is in the best interests of the country.”

He added: “We should be proud of what we fought for and what we were able to achieve. I am grateful to each one of you, and to all the people who made up the heart and soul of this campaign.”