White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersKrystal Ball rips report saying Obama would intervene to stop Sanders Conservatives must absolutely talk politics at the Thanksgiving table Moderators named for December Democratic primary debate MORE (I-Vt.) surged to the lead in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, followed by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Peter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegOvernight Health Care: Massachusetts governor signs groundbreaking vaping flavor ban | Disability advocates questions 2020 Dems' mental health plans | US birth rate falls for fourth straight year Moderators named for December Democratic primary debate Bloomberg bets 2020 campaign on unprecedented strategy MORE in second place, according to a new Emerson College poll released Tuesday.
Sanders led the Democratic primary field with 26 percent support among primary voters, trailed by Buttigieg at 22 percent. Former Vice President Joe Biden
Joe BidenGiuliani calls Trump to say he was joking about 'insurance policy' Three women accuse Gordon Sondland of sexual misconduct Top Obama-era official says Trump is 'destroying' executive privilege amid investigations MORE and Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann WarrenEXCLUSIVE: 2020 Dem Andrew Yang releases tax returns Saagar Enjeti: Why Warren's 'Medicare For All' rollout has contributed to polling drop Moderators named for December Democratic primary debate MORE (D-Mass.) each had 14 percent, while no other candidate broke double digits.
The poll suggests a significant shuffling of the primary field in the Granite State, with Sanders and Buttigieg both doubling their support compared to the same poll in September. That survey had Sanders at 13 percent and Buttigieg at 11 percent.
Meanwhile, Biden, who led in the September poll, fell 10 points, while Warren dropped 7 points. And in a sign the field could rejigger further, 55 percent of Democratic primary voters said there’s a chance they could change their minds ahead of the Feb. 11 primary.
“The Democratic voters have taken a look at Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren and they appear unsatisfied at this time which brought some voters back to Bernie Sanders while others are now moving to a fresh face in Pete Buttigieg, this demonstrates the fluidity of the race,” said Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson Polling.
Sanders’s surge has been buoyed by support from voters under the age of 50, with 38 percent of such voters saying they back the Vermont Independent, compared with 16 percent for Warren, 12 percent for Buttigieg and 8 percent for Biden.
Buttigieg’s rise was aided in part by voters over the age of 50, as 32 percent of such voters said they would back him, compared to 19 percent for Biden, 15 percent for Sanders and 11 percent for Warren.
Sanders, a staunch progressive, also has a lead among voters who identify as very liberal, while Buttigieg leads with primary voters who identify as somewhat liberal or moderate/conservative.
Sanders, who hails from neighboring Vermont, has banked on a strong showing in New Hampshire to propel his campaign well beyond the February primary.
The poll also comes as Buttigieg enjoys a surge in early state polls and on the heels of three consecutive Iowa surveys showing the Indiana Democrat leading in the Hawkeye State’s caucus, while another New Hampshire poll shows him edging out the competition in that state’s primary.
The Emerson College poll surveyed 549 New Hampshire Democratic primary voters from Nov. 22 to Nov. 26 and has a margin of error of 4.1 percent.
