The two 2020 Democratic debates from last week have clearly shaken up the field last week. A new poll in Iowa that previously had Bernie Sanders on top now has him in single digits:
USA TODAY – In a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll, Biden continues to lead the field, backed by 24% of those who say they are likely to attend the Democratic caucuses in Iowa that open the presidential contests next year. But Harris has jumped to second place, at 16%, leapfrogging over Sanders, whose support sagged to single digits. At 9%, he finished fourth, behind Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 13%.
In other words…
New (post-debate) Suffolk/USA Today Iowa poll:
Biden 24%
Harris 16%
Warren 13%
Sanders 9% https://t.co/oiriQ25X5K— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) July 2, 2019
To give you some comparison, Biden was at 24% and Sanders was at 16% in an Iowa poll from early June, followed by Warren at 15% and Buttigieg at 14%.
To add to this, CNN came out with a post-debate national poll yesterday that showed similar results:
Can the next debate be these people? It’s time the others take a seat. (CNN Poll after last debate)
Biden 22% (-10)
Harris 17% (+9)
Warren 15% (+8)
Sanders 14% (-4)
Buttigieg 4% (-1)— Joey Armstrong (@lyfewithadhd) July 2, 2019
Now none of this is set in stone, as USA Today points out…
The new standings are hardly set in stone. Six of 10 say they might change their mind before the caucuses; just one in four say their minds are firmly made up. The second set of debates, scheduled for the end of the month in Detroit, could upend the horserace again.
The next set of debates are gonna be LIT, because these turnarounds in polling results are gonna make them fight each other even more. Candidates now see how well Harris did attacking Biden and you better believe some are going to emulate her in order to give themselves a boost next time.