COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joe Biden is leading in South Carolina, according to the third Monmouth University Poll of likely Democratic primary voters in the state.
Tom Steyer and Bernie Sanders are fighting for the second spot. Biden’s wide lead in the poll is underpinned by solid support among black voters in the state.
Among South Carolina voters who are likely to participate in the Democratic primary on Saturday, February 29, support currently stands at 36% for Biden, 16% for Sanders, and 15% for Steyer.
Candidates who currently fall below the statewide delegate viability threshold include Elizabeth Warren (8%), Pete Buttigieg (6%), Amy Klobuchar (4%), and Tulsi Gabbard (1%). Another 15% of likely primary voters remain undecided and do not lean toward any candidate at this time.
In Monmouth’s October poll, 33% supported Biden, 16% Warren, and 12% Sanders. It should be noted that interviews for the current poll were conducted after the Nevada caucuses, wrapping up right before Tuesday night’s debate.
Just over 4 in 10 likely South Carolina Democratic primary voters are set on their candidate choice, including 39% who say they are firmly decided and another 4% who have already voted by absentee ballot. Biden (59%) and Sanders (57%) are the most likely to have their support locked in. Less than half of those backing other candidates are firmly decided.
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from February 23 to 25, 2020 with 454 South Carolina voters who are likely to vote in the Democratic presidential primary on February 29, 2020, out of 713 registered voters that were contacted for the poll. The question results in this release have a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, NJ.
For more from the Monmouth poll, click here.