Warren gains on Biden in Iowa: poll

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is closing in on former Vice President Joe Biden in Iowa, according to a Monmouth University poll released Thursday. 

Biden remains the contest’s front-runner, notching 28 percent support among likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa. But Warren is now polling in second place with 19 percent support, a significant gain from the 7 percent she carried in a similar survey conducted in April.

{mosads}In third place is Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who came in with 11 percent support in the Hawkeye State. Like Warren, she saw a bump since Monmouth’s last Iowa poll, gaining 4 points since April. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has trended in the opposite direction. He took fourth in the latest survey with 9 percent support, down from 16 percent in April. He’s trailed closely by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) at 8 percent, according to the poll. 

Four other candidates notched above 1 percent in the Monmouth poll of Iowa Democratic caucusgoers: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer scored 3 percent each, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and former tech executive Andrew Yang came in with 2 percent each.

Warren’s rise suggests that her massive field operation in Iowa and breakneck pace of campaigning may be paying off. She has more staffers on the ground than any of her rivals, and is among the top-tier candidates who have spent the most time in the state, according to the Des Moines Register, which is tracking candidate visits to Iowa.

The poll, which was conducted from Aug. 1 to 4, also suggests that Warren’s standing may have been buoyed by what was considered by many to be a solid performance in the second Democratic primary debate last week.

More than three quarters of Iowa Democratic caucusgoers — 76 percent — have a positive impression of Warren, the Monmouth poll found, giving her the highest favorability rating of any candidate in the race. Biden takes a close second on that front, with 73 percent reporting favorable views of the former vice president.

Harris and Buttigieg are tied at 68 percent favorability, while Sanders rounds out the top five at 58 percent. 

The Iowa caucuses are still roughly six months away, however, and the candidates will have an opportunity in the coming days to boost their Iowa bona fides. Virtually the entire Democratic field is slated to speak at the Iowa State Fair, one of the most essential stops for presidential campaigns.

The Monmouth poll surveyed 401 likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa, about 20 percent whom said they would likely caucus online or on the phone, from Aug. 1 to 4. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.