CNN Poll: Biden Surges, Harris Drops Significantly

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JULY 31: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) (R) speaks while former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre July 31,... DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JULY 31: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) (R) speaks while former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre July 31, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. 20 Democratic presidential candidates were split into two groups of 10 to take part in the debate sponsored by CNN held over two nights at Detroit’s Fox Theatre. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Former Vice President Joe Biden is back at a comfortable lead in the double digits over his Democratic competitors, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday, while Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has slipped considerably from her post-first debate boost.

Since the last June poll, Biden has climbed to 29 percent from 22, while Harris has fallen from 17 percent to 5. That June poll was conducted soon after the first debate, which was widely considered a success for Harris and disappointment for Biden.

Among the rest of the field, the polling has held fairly steady.

Per CNN, interviewers randomly contacted 1,001 people via landline or cellphone, and the full sample has a margin of error of 3.7 points. Those identifying as Democratic or Democratic-leaning independents registered to vote — 402 people of the full pool — have a margin of error of 6.1 points.

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  1. I’m not expecting much different this early, up/down etc. The only thing that’s of interest to me is that so far no one has been able to take that Top Seat from Biden; they’re all jockeying for 2nd or 3rd at this point.

    I do think any of the Top 3 (Biden, Warren, Sander - or Sanders, Warren depending on the poll) can take Trump.

  2. Ok, so Joe beats Trump. What does the Democratic party do the day after the election?

    By the way all the leaders beat Trump who has a very hard ceiling of about 39%.

    Wouldn’t you like to see a party that is more forward looking than Uncle Joe?

  3. Avatar for erik_t erik_t says:

    I’m personally not especially enthused about Biden’s candidacy, but certain corners of the internet (hint: not here, rhymes with “quitter”) are in the habit of mistaking their own lack of enthusiasm for actual weakness or vulnerability.

    Biden has not fallen victim to the gaffe-related self-destruction that was widely predicted, and indeed has weathered several storms (handsiness, Harris/busing) without any apparent damage. If you discount that, you’re discounting evidence because you simply don’t like it.

    Lordy, I wish he were a decade younger.

  4. Avatar for rick rick says:

    I’m curious - why do some polls get trumpeted while others are ignored?

    “Biden surges!” - um, not really. Biden is at 29%, which is comparable to most of the polling done over the last two months. The previous CNN poll was an outlier on the low side. Looks to me we’re just seeing a lot of statistical fluctuation with his support.

    Could we have better coverage of this topic? If we’re going to be fed horse race analysis, can it at least track the candidates accurately?

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