Sanders up by 18 points in California: survey

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leads the Democratic primary field in California by 18 points, according to a survey released Wednesday.

In the poll from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) first reported by the Los Angeles Times, Sanders has the support of 32 percent of likely voters.

Joe Biden registered support from 14 percent of poll respondents, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) trailed the former vice president by 1 percentage point in the survey. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (D) were tied at 12 percent each.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who performed impressively in New Hampshire after rising in many national polls, registered only 5 percent support in the poll.

Biden and Warren both suffered double-digit drops in support since the PPIC’s survey last month, leaving Sanders the only candidate firmly above the 15 percent viability threshold needed to win delegates in California, where voters will cast ballots on Super Tuesday. Others remain in the running due to the poll’s margin of error.

“As the campaign moves to larger and more diverse states, Sanders’ support among Latinos and younger voters is noteworthy,” said PPIC chief Mark Baldassare.

The PPIC survey’s margin of error is 5.7 percentage points; information about the poll’s survey date was not immediately available.