Hillary Clinton is losing traction among Democratic voters as the scandal surrounding her private email server heats up, as some start to look at a candidate who isn’t even in the race yet.
Hillary Clinton has the support of only 42 percent of Democrats, down from 52 percent last month, according to a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday. In contrast, both Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are gaining ground, with 22 percent and 20 percent support, respectively.
When the same poll was taken in July, Biden had just 12 percent of the vote, and Sanders had 16 percent. These significant jumps likely reflect the questioning surrounding the Democratic front-runner as she undergoes investigation by the FBI. Yet, despite these claims, 71 percent of Democrats still view her favorably.
Fifty-six percent of Clinton voters and 56 percent of Sanders voters say they would be at least “somewhat likely” or “very likely” to switch their support to Biden if he were to enter the race. An additional 7 percent of Democrats said that they would be “very likely” to consider voting for Biden if he gets into the race, and another 34 percent said they would be “somewhat likely” to consider it.
“For a guy who is not running for president, Biden sure is making headway against the front-runner,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, N.J. “There also seems to be an opening with the more liberal Sanders voters if Biden plays his cards right.”
While the vice president has not entered the race yet, he has admitted that he is seriously considering a run but gauging his family’s ability to handle a run emotionally after the death of Beau Biden early this summer. The elder Biden has embarked on a speaking tour in the South, during which he promoted Barack Obama’s Iran deal and spoke with prominent Democratic donors. Supporters of the vice president say they believe that he will enter the race between the end of September and the first Democratic debate on Oct. 13.
