Poll: Biden’s support drops among black voters

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s support among black voters has slid, but he still holds a double-digit lead against his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a new poll.

A Morning Consult survey released on Tuesday finds Biden in the lead with the support of 31 percent of Democratic primary voters nationwide, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at 19 percent, Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) at 14 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) at 13 percent.

The 7-point drop for Biden in the past three weeks comes as Harris has improved by 8 points in that time. Support for Sanders and Warren is unchanged in Morning Consult polling.

{mosads}Biden’s loss of support is almost wholly attributable to softer support from black voters. The former vice president lost 8 points among that key constituency, while Harris picked up 7 points.

At the first Democratic debate in late June, Harris hammered Biden over remarks he made about having found common ground working with segregationists in the Senate decades ago. And she challenged Biden over his past opposition to a federal busing law aimed at integrating schools.

Still, Biden remains the top choice among black voters, with 38 percent support, followed by Sanders at 21 percent, Harris at 16 percent and Warren at 7 percent. 

The Morning Consult online survey of 16,599 potential Democratic primary voters was conducted between July 1 and July 7 and has a 1 percentage point margin of error.