He has not tossed his hat in the ring, but Joe Biden is leading declared Democratic candidates among likely New Hamphshire voters for the 2020 primary, a new poll showed.
A University of Massachusetts Amherst survey released Wednesday found 28 percent of likely Democratic voters said they would support the former vice president if New Hampshire's must-win primary was held today.
Twenty percent, in turn, said they would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who won New Hampshire's Democratic primary in 2016 and formally entered the 2020 race Tuesday, the poll found.
Likely Granite State Democratic voters were more divided on Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., with a respective 14 percent and 9 percent saying they would support them if the state's primary occurred today.
Another 14 percent, meanwhile, said they were undecided about what Democrat they would support in next year's primary.
Tatishe Nteta, director of the UMass Poll and a political science associate professor, said the findings indicate, despite the Democratic Party's diverse roster of candidates vying for 2020 nomination, New Hampshire voters "seem to be more comfortable handing the reins to a seasoned veteran."
"While early, our results suggest that this race is Joe Biden's for the taking, the question is whether he wants it or not," said Tatishe Nteta, director of the UMass Poll and a political science associate professor, Masslive.com reported, adding New Hampshire voters "seem to be more comfortable handing the reins to a seasoned veteran."
The UMass poll also found Biden leading other Democrats in most demographic groups, including among moderates, older voters, and women.
Nearly 40 percent of likely New Hampshire Democratic voters feel Biden represents the party's best shot at defeating President Donald Trump; 12 percent said that would be Sanders; 8 percent said Harris would be the winning ticket; and 6 percent said Warren was better poised.
The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.
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