2020 Democrat Joe Biden is trailing behind Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the first time in Morning Consult’s nationwide poll.
The poll, which was conducted after the Iowa caucuses from Feb. 4-9, found Sanders leading the pack of Democratic presidential candidates with 25% support, up 1% from the previous poll. Biden earned support from 22% of respondents, which was down 6% from the last poll that took place before Iowa.
The former vice president seems to be hemorrhaging votes to his more moderate competitors. Michael Bloomberg, who did not compete in Iowa, gained 3% support to place him in third with 17% nationwide. Pete Buttigieg also grew his support by 5% after his win in Iowa, leaving him in fourth place with 11%.
Biden, 77, has touted his nationwide support as a defense for his poor fourth-place performance in Iowa, arguing that he will win South Carolina and sail through Super Tuesday to be the nominee.
Part of his argument for securing support in South Carolina is his popularity with black voters. The Tuesday poll, however, revealed that he could be dwindling among that demographic. His support from black voters dropped in every age-group surveyed, including a 14-point drop from black voters over the age of 65 and a 13-point drop from voters ages 55 to 64.
The Morning Consult poll was a survey of 15,346 Democratic primary voters with a margin of error of 1%. The RealClearPolitics national average of polls also showed Sanders gaining 2% support to overtake Biden on Tuesday.
