Biden holds 12-point lead over Sanders in national poll

Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a 12-point lead nationally over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) among likely Democratic presidential primary voters, according to a new poll.

The latest Morning Consult online survey finds Biden at 33 percent support, followed by Sanders at 21 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 16 percent.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is in fourth place at 7 percent, followed by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) at 5 percent.

The survey results have not changed much over the past few months, although Harris has seen her support cut in half since topping out at 14 percent in early July

{mosads}Three candidates are tied for sixth place in the latest poll, with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang all pulling 3 percent support.

Two other candidates who will be on the debate stage on Thursday night in Houston — Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro — are at 1 percent support in the poll.

Biden, Sanders and Warren, who will share a debate stage for the first time together on Thursday night, are running neck and neck with each other when voters are asked who they would choose as a second option.

Among Biden’s supporters, 26 percent listed Sanders as their backup while 24 percent said Warren.

Twenty-nine percent of Sanders supporters said Biden is their second option, followed by 27 percent who said Warren.

And 24 percent of Warren’s supporters said Sanders is their backup, followed by 21 percent who said Biden.

Sanders has the highest favorability rating in the field at 75 percent positive and 18 percent negative, followed by Biden, who posts a 72-20 split. Sixty-four percent of Democrats have a favorable view of Warren, against 15 percent who view her unfavorably.

The Morning Consult online survey of 17,824 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted from Sept. 2 to Sept. 8 and has a 1 percentage point margin of error.