Who do younger voters prefer in the 2020 Democratic primary? By Luke Perry
Bernie Sanders is the early favorite among 18 to 29 year old likely voters in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Sanders is preferred by 1 in 3, well ahead of Joe Biden, who is polling at 16 percent.
The poll was conducted by John Zogby Strategies for the Forbes 30 Thirty Voter Survey and has a 3.1 percent to 3.9 percent margin of error.
Graph by Zogby Strategies
The rest of the field has single digit support from younger Democratic voters. Elizabeth Warren (9 percent), Michael Bloomberg (9 percent), and Andrew Yang (8 percent), lead the second tier.
Biden (16 percent), Sanders (14 percent), and Warren (13 percent) are atop the pack of the preferred second choice. Biden is the most popular second choice among Sanders voters and vice versa.
This is surprising. Biden is a leading candidate among more moderate Democrats, while Sanders leads the more progressive faction. The two have been at odds on some policy issues, such as healthcare, throughout the campaign.
Warren, on the other hand, aligns more closely with Sanders’ political ideology, making her the anticipated preferred second choice of his voters.
Pete Buttigieg (Photo by AP)
Another surprise is how poorly the youngest Democratic candidate, Pete Buttigieg, fares among young Democratic voters. Buttigieg garnered just 3 percent support, placing him in a tie for last place among this demographic.
Moreover, just 5 percent identified Buttigieg as second choice. Lack of name recognition probably helps to explain this poor showing.
Photo from PBS News Hour
The Iowa Caucus, the first time voters head to the polls, will be held on Monday. Latest polling suggest there is no clear favorite.
Biden leads the pack with 25 percent support, followed by Sanders (19 percent), Buttigieg (18 percent), and Warren (13 percent).
13 percent of caucus voters are undecided. 45 percent indicated it was possible they may change their mind.
Luke Perry (@PolSciLukePerry) is Professor of Government at Utica College
