Latest Q poll shows Biden and Harris in statistical tie

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The latest Quinnipiac University poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters shows that California Senator Kamala Harris has risen to a statistical tie with former Vice President Joe Biden. The poll shows Harris got a double digit jump in her popularity and the vice president’s dropped.

Biden still leads those polled with 22 percent, but Harris has 20 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) followed with 14 percent and Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) has 13 percent. South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Butigieg has 4 percent and Senator Cory Book (NJ) has 3 percent. The rest of the candidates have 1 percent or less.

What the poll shows, according Quinnipiac University is, “After Democratic presidential contenders duked it out over two nights of debates, former Vice President Joseph Biden hits his lowest number yet in the Democratic primary race with 22 percent of the vote among Democrats and Democratic leaners, virtually tied with California Sen. Kamala Harris who has 20 percent of the vote.”

Night 2 of the first Democratic debates

The margin of error in the poll is 5 points, +/-. Analyst Mary Snow stated, “Round 1 of the Democratic debates puts Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden on two different trajectories, as support for Harris surges but continues to slip for Biden. Biden’s once commanding lead has evaporated. There are other red flags for him in areas where he still leads, including double digit drops among Democrats and Democratic leaners who view him as the best leader, or as the best candidate to defeat President Trump in 2020.”

We are still about six months away from the first primaries and caucuses so a lot can change. Many political analysts say Biden can regain his momentum, but others wonder if Harris’s grasp of the all-important African American vote with grow or plateau. Before the debates Biden had a commanding lead of the African American voters who viewed him as the strongest contender against President Trump in 2020.

Among other questions in the poll, Senator Warren led all candidates in the category of best policy ideas, with 31 percent. Unfortunately for the senator, that didn’t raise her popularity among Democratic voters.

According to those polled, 40 percent of whom said they watched all or most of the debates and another 40 percent saying they paid close attention to news reports about the debates, Harris did the best job in the two-night event.

According to Quinnipiac University, “The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts gold standard surveys using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts nationwide surveys and polls in more than a dozen states on national and statewide elections, as well as public policy issues.”

You can read the entire poll results here.

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