Sanders takes narrow lead in key Iowa poll as Democratic caucuses approaches

Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-11 15:45:03|Editor: Shi Yinglun
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is narrowly leading in the Democratic presidential primary field in Iowa, with the Iowa Democratic caucuses kicking off the 2020 presidential nominating calendar next month, according to a new poll released Friday.

The Des Moines Register/CNN poll, widely considered the most authoritative in Iowa, shows that Vermont's Sanders garners the support of 20 percent of likely Democrat caucus-goers.

Sanders, 78, is trailed closely by another progressive, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who registers 17 percent in the survey.

Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, a fast-rising moderate, along with former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who's leading comfortably in national polls, rounded out the top four, with 16-percent and 15-percent support, respectively.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota notched 6 percent in the poll, putting her in the fifth place, while entrepreneur Andrew Yang finished just below her, with 5-percent support.

The poll surveyed 701 likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa on Jan. 2-8, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, suggesting the race in the Hawkeye State remains wide open.

The poll is good news for Sanders, who increased his standing by 5 percentage points since the last Des Moines Register poll in November. That survey showed Buttigieg surging to the front of the pack with 25-percent support.

David Axelrod, director of the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, said Friday that the loyalty and enthusiasm of Sanders' supporters is "impressive."

"It's reflected in his even larger lead among those most certain to caucus," Axelrod tweeted. "Still a debate and three weeks to go but he is in a strong position headed into the final turn."

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, tweeted Friday that he believes it is still a "close 4-way race at top."

The poll was released hours after U.S. author Marianne Williamson, a long-shot candidate, announced that she's ending her bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination against President Donald Trump in November.

"With caucuses and primaries now about to begin, however, we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conservation any more than it is now," Williamson said in a message to supporters.

"The primaries might be tightly contested among the top contenders, and I don't want to get in the way of a progressive candidate winning any of them," she said. "As of today, therefore, I'm suspending my campaign."

Williamson's exit shrunk the Democratic primary field to 13 candidates.

The 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 3, as the first nominating contest in the Democratic presidential primaries for the 2020 presidential election.

The seventh Democratic primary debate is scheduled for next week and is set to be followed by three more debates in February.

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