Former 2020 frontrunner Sen. Elizabeth Warren has fallen behind political newcomer Pete Buttigieg in the latest poll of Iowa Democrats — yet another setback for the onetime darling of progressive Democrats.
In the new Emerson University poll of the Iowa caucus, former Vice President Joe Biden’s 25 percent gives him a narrow lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at 24 percent. But the biggest news is that Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana has surged to 11 percent and third place, ahead of Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) at 10 percent.
Among Iowa Democrats, Sen. Elizabeth Warren couldn’t break into double-digits and is stuck at nine percent. That’s the same nine percent Warren had in Emerson’s poll of New Hampshire Democrats a month ago. In Emerson University’s previous Iowa poll, Warren was in double-digits at 11 percent and Buttigieg was at zero percent.
Spencer Kimball, Director of the Emerson Poll reports that the survey, conducted between March 21-24, has a margin of error of +/- 6.2 percent. “The biggest surprise in this poll is Mayor Pete,” Kimball said. “Last week we saw him inching up in our national poll, and now he’s in double digits in Iowa.
According to Emerson, Sanders strength is among 18-29-year-olds with 44 percent support. Second place among those young voters goes to goes to Buttigieg with 22 percent. Kimball notes that “If Buttigieg is able to maintain his momentum, his candidacy appears to be pulling from the same demographic of young voters as Sanders, and that could become a problem for Sanders.
“America is going to be asking who is ‘Mayor Pete’?” Kimbal said.
Democrats may also be asking “What happened to Elizabeth Warren?” In the latest CNN national poll the Massachusetts senator is down to 6 percent, and in the latest Fox News poll r released Sunday, she was at a dismal 4 percent– trailing Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and former congressman Beto O’Rourke.
