Sen. Bernie Sanders’ traditionally strong base of youth support has been on the decline in recent months.
The 77-year-old Sanders, a socialist and independent senator from Vermont, was buoyed by young supporters during his unsuccessful 2016 primary challenge against Hillary Clinton, but according to a new Morning Consult poll, that young enthusiasm appears to be drying up.
His support from voters aged 18 to 29 has sharply declined from 45% in March to 33%, where it currently sits. Despite the drop, Sanders still holds more support from young voters than front-runner Joe Biden, who is the first choice of 24% of those surveyed.
Biden, who announced a run for president in April, has seen steady growth overall in the polls. The survey found that he holds 39% support among Democratic primary voters across the country — Sanders trails Biden with 19% support. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California tied for third with 8% of voters favoring them.
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