Poll: Warren out to an early lead over Sanders in Nevada, but Biden still leads the pack
Warren edges fellow front-runner among likely Democratic caucusgoers
Poll: Warren out to an early lead over Sanders in Nevada, but Biden still leads the pack Warren edges fellow front-runner among likely Democratic caucusgoers Check out this story on rgj.com: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/12/warren-trailing-only-biden-early-nevada-poll/1432371001/
James DeHaven, Reno Gazette Journal Published 10:03 a.m. PT June 12, 2019 | Updated 11:16 a.m. PT June 12, 2019
Photos: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at Wooster High School
U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren makes her entrance to a rally at Wooster High School in Reno on April 6, 2019. Jason Bean/RGJ
Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren speaks during a rally at Wooster High School in Reno on April 6, 2019. Jason Bean/RGJ
Supporters cheer as Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks during a rally at Wooster High School in Reno on April 6, 2019. Jason Bean/RGJ
Ruth Flack gets her chance to hug Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren during a rally at Wooster High School in Reno on April 6, 2019. Jason Bean/RGJ
Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren speaks to the media following a rally at Wooster High School in Reno on April 6, 2019. Jason Bean/RGJ
5 year old Norah Johannessen holds a sign as Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks during a rally at Wooster High School in Reno on April 6, 2019. Jason Bean/RGJ
Nevadans seem to like Elizabeth Warren more than many other Democratic primary voters.
That's according to a new Monmouth University poll that found the two-term Massachusetts senator trails only former Vice President Joe Biden among likely 2020 caucusgoers in the Silver State.
Here as elsewhere, Biden holds a commanding lead in a deep field of two dozen Democratic contenders. The 76-year-old ex-senator from Delaware picked up 36 percent support among Nevada's registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters, according to a Wednesday release from Monmouth.
Warren won over 19 percent of those polled, topping fellow progressive firebrand and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who picked up 13 percent.
That's a departure from most national polls, which show Sanders holding a roughly 8 percentage point lead over Warren.
Pollsters found Nevadans held a much more favorable opinion of Warren than voters in other early primary states such as New Hampshire and Iowa.
They suspect that could have something to do with Warren's appeal to the state's politically powerful trade unions.
"Nevada's highly unionized service sector workforce may be a good fit for Warren's policy platform when you look at the Democratic electorates in the four early states," Patrick Murray, Monmouth's polling director, said in a statement. "However, she is nowhere near the top tier in terms of candidate preferences among Latino and black voters, who make up a significant part of the party's base here."
Murray pointed out Nevada's caucus will attract a much more ethnically diverse electorate than other early-nominating states. The poll found immigration is more of a factor for choosing a nominee in than it is in other early states, and Murray said state's Latino voters "seem to be particularly up for grabs right now."
Health care topped the list of important issues for Democratic voters, followed by environmental concerns, immigration, jobs and reproductive rights. Beating President Donald Trump also landed high on the list of voter concerns, with nearly two-thirds of likely caucusgoers reporting they prefer a nominee who would be a strong candidate against Trump even if they disagree with that candidate on most issues.
Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senate hopeful Catherine Cortez Masto pay a visit to Simple Ice Cream Sandwiches in Reno on Oct. 29, 2016. (Photo: Jason Bean/RGJ)
Such electability concerns have helped buoy Biden's strong showing in national polls of moderate and conservative Democrats. He's doing just as well with those voters in Nevada, pulling out to a 36-point lead over Warren among moderates.
Monmouth found South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg was Nevadans' fourth-favorite Democratic presidential hopeful, polling at 7 percent. U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., came in at 6 percent.
Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and entrepreneur Andrew Yang each picked up 2 percent of poll respondents. Former cabinet secretary Julián Castro, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and author Marianne Williamson all polled at 1 percent. The remaining 12 candidates earned less than 1 percent or were not chosen by any respondents in the poll.
The survey was conducted from June 6 to 11, drawing on a random sample of 1,333 registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters who are likely to attend Nevada's first-in-the-west caucus in February.
James DeHaven is the politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal. He covers campaigns, the Nevada Legislature and everything in between. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.
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