This poll is a part of the CBS/YouGov Poll and was featured in the CBS News’ article, “Elizabeth Warren tops Democrats' wish list for Biden's vice president”
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is among the most popular choices that former Vice President Joe Biden could select as his running mate, according to a CBS News/YouGov Poll. Not only is she the top pick, but she’s the person who most Democratic voters want to be considered for the role.
Warren—who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination herself—sits at the top of the list when registered Democrats and voters who lean Democratic are asked whether or not Biden should consider various female politicians as his vice president. About seven in 10 Democratic voters (71%) believe Warren should be considered for the position.
Following Warren, about three in five (59%) believe another former rival, California Senator Kamala Harris, should be considered. The third most-considered individual is Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, who ultimately lost the race but gained recognition as a voting rights activist.
Abrams has not held a position in the federal government, but she has emphasized her belief that Biden needs to choose a woman of color to fill the vice presidential slot. A majority of Democrats (74%) say it “does not matter” whether Biden chooses a woman of color or a white woman as his running mate. About one-quarter of this group wants to see a non-white Vice President.
Warren boasts the highest name recognition of all of the women listed—just 7 percent say they “haven’t heard enough” about her to evaluate whether she should be considered for the VP role. A CBS News analysis found that familiarity matters. Three of the women who just ran for president—Warren, Harris, and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar—are near the top of voters' lists. More Democrats express an opinion about the former presidential candidates, and they get far higher consideration numbers.
Warren remains at the top of the list when Democrats are asked to pick their first choice for the role. About one-third of Democratic voters and leaners (36%) selected Warren, and about three in 10 registered voters (30%) also picked her.
Klobuchar is a more popular vice-presidential first choice among registered voters overall than she is among Democrats and Democratic leaners (24% vs 13%). Klobuchar is second to Warren for registered voters overall and fourth for Democratic voters and Democratic leaners. No other individual listed garnered more than 5 percent of support as a top choice.
A majority of Democrats say Biden should prioritize selecting a vice president who is ready to become President if needed (82%), who motivates traditional Democrats to turn out to vote (71%), or who could appeal to swing voters or those who voted for President Donald Trump (57%).
See the toplines and crosstabs from this CBS News/YouGov survey
Methodology: This CBS News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 2,200 U.S. residents interviewed between April 28 - May 1, 2020. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, as well as 2016 presidential vote and registration status. The margin of error is ± 2.5 points.
Image: Getty
