Vice President Biden lags well behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) among Democratic presidential favorites listed by voters in New Hampshire, according to a new Bloomberg Politics/Saint Anselm poll.
Ten percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the Granite State list Biden as their first choice, compared to 41 percent for Sanders and 36 percent for Clinton.
{mosads}The vice president does not fair much better among those who list him as their second choice, at 19 percent compared to 22 percent for Sanders and 28 percent for Clinton.
As either first or second choice, Biden has half the support of Clinton and Sanders each: 29 percent, compared to 63 percent for Sanders and 64 percent for Clinton.
Biden is reportedly nearing a decision about entering the Democratic race, and speculation has reached a fever pitch this week.
The poll also finds that while former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley does not register support as the first choice of likely Democratic voters there, he is the second choice of 6 percent.
New Hampshire surveys have produced mixed results following the first Democratic presidential debate last week but have generally shown the race tightening between Sanders and Clinton. The Vermont senator led the former secretary of State starting in August.
The survey of 400 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted Oct. 15-18 via landlines and cellphones with a margin of error of 4.9 points.