There is another casualty of the current impeachment drama – and it isn’t Donald Trump. Even though there is no proof former Vice President Joe Biden or his son ever engaged in corrupt acts in Ukraine, having a name associated with the investigation has affected his ratings – and his political standing — in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll. He is no longer in first place when Democratic primary voters name their first choice.
Biden continues to be African-American Democratic voters’ first choice. More than one-third (36%) choose him, compared with 15% for Elizabeth Warren and 12% for Bernie Sanders. But senior citizens, who last week gave Biden an eight-point lead over Warren (39% to 31%) are now much more closely divided. Sanders continues to be the first choice of those under the age of 30.
Warren’s strengths continue to be with liberals, those with a college degree, and people paying a lot of attention to the 2020 campaign. In this week’s poll, she is ahead with both men and women.
In a different question, one that asks potential voters which candidates they are considering supporting (and for which the typical Democratic voter has three possibilities), Warren is the only candidate a majority of Democrats is considering. Biden trails her by 11 points.
Warren also the most liked Democratic candidate among those likely to participate in the selection process. Warren’s favorable rating this week is ten points higher than Biden’s and nine points higher than Sanders’. Among the general public, she and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg are the only leading candidates with favorable ratings as high as their unfavorable ones.
Only 10 percent of Democratic voters say they would be disappointed if she were the nominee, half the percentages that would be disappointed with a Biden or a Sanders nomination. She also scores higher than Biden or Sanders on leadership, honesty and crisis management among Democratic primary voters.
Related: Yes, Americans believe the House should be trying to impeach President Trump
Read the full toplines and table results from this week’s Economist/YouGov poll
Image: Getty
