Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders just officially announced his 2016 presidential run yesterday and the latest Iowa poll finds him now sitting in second place behind Hillary Clinton among Iowa caucus voters. Most of this poll was taken before Sanders had officially announced so it will be interesting to see where he ends up in coming weeks.
Report from the Washington Examiner:
As he formally announces his run for the presidency, it is nothing short of astonishing that Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont socialist who will be 75 years old on Inauguration Day 2017, has emerged as Hillary Clinton’s leading opponent in the race for the Democratic nomination. But that is what has happened.
A new Iowa survey by the Democratic polling firm PPP finds Clinton with an overwhelming lead over the Democratic pack — no news there. But PPP also found that, while the former secretary of state is the choice of 62 percent of Democrats surveyed, Sanders is now in double digits, with 14 percent saying they support him. (Martin O’Malley is at 6 percent, Jim Webb at 3 percent, and Lincoln Chafee at two percent, while 13 percent say they are not sure who they support.)
The poll, from April 28, breaks down like this:
62% – Hillary Clinton
14% – Bernie Sanders
6% – Martin O’Malley
3% – Jim Webb
2% – Lincoln Chafee
The poll notes that Sanders is also hitting double-digits in New Hampshire, which isn’t too surprising since he’s spent years next door as one of Vermont’s senators. Many are speculating that Sanders is now getting the default Elizabeth Warren support since the two share similar progressive views.
