Democrat voters opt for Elizabeth Warren over Joe Biden

Elizabeth Warren tops the field for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in a new poll.

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren at a rally in New Hamsphire. Picture: AP

Progressive Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren tops the field for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomin­ation in a new poll, although other surveys have former vice- president Joe Biden in the lead.

The fresh surveys landed as one of the race’s low-polling candidat­es, congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, announced he was dropping out of the race.

While second- and third-tier candidates flounder, Senator Warren and Mr Biden have battled­ for primacy. The 70-year-old Senator Warren was backed by 28 per cent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning independ­ent voters in a poll published on Friday by Quinnipiac University.

The more centrist Mr Biden, 76, who has led most polling since joining the White House race, receive­d 21 per cent.

Liberal Vermont senator Bernie­ Sanders, who recently suffere­d a heart attack, was at 15 per cent in the survey while Pete Buttigieg, the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was at 10 per cent, his strongest showing yet in major national polling.

California senator Kamala Harris received 5 per cent, while senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was at 3 per cent.

While Senator Warren topped the Quinnipiac poll, Mr Biden came out well ahead in a CNN survey published on Thursday and conducted by independent research company SSRS.

Mr Biden was the choice of 34 per cent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters in the CNN poll, which ­recorded his largest lead in the race since April, just after his campaign­’s formal launch.

Nineteen per cent opted for Senator Warren and 16 per cent for Senator Sanders, while Mr Buttigieg and Senator Harris each received 6 per cent and Senator Klobuchar was at 3 per cent.

Mr Ryan, for his part, barely registered in the recent surveys.

“I wanted to give voice to the forgotten communities that have been left behind by globalisation and automation, and I’m proud of this campaign because I believe we’ve done that,” the Ohio Democrat said in a video ­announcing his withdrawal.

With such intense compet­ition in the race to see who will challenge President Donald Trump in 2020, Mr Ryan’s campaign never caught fire.

Other lower-tier candidates, such as former cabinet member Julian Castro and senator ­Michael Bennet, are similarly struggling in the race that still features 18 White House hopefuls.

Senator Warren has vied with Senator Sanders for the progressive vote, with bold ideas on health­care and education, while Mr Biden has campaigned as an experienced moderate who has the best chance of defeating Mr Trump. Mr Biden has been the frontrunner in the crowded Democratic field for longer, but Senator Warren has been surging lately and drawing large crowds to her rallies.

The former vice-president has also been caught up in the political turmoil surrounding Mr Trump pressing Ukrainian President Volody­myr Zelensky for damaging information on Mr Biden and his son Hunter.

House of Repres­entatives Democrats have opened an ­impeachment inquiry into Mr Trump for abuse of power.

While Mr Trump has repeatedly hammered the Bidens as corrupt­ in a bid to taint his possible­ 2020 election adversary, Mr Biden’s resilience in the polls could give him fresh confidence heading into next month’s Democratic debate. Eight candidates have qualified so far for the November 20 showdown, the cycle’s sixth debate.

AFP