Joe Biden holds a wide lead in South Carolina, while the former vice president Vermont Sen. Bernie Sandes and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren are knotted up in Nevada, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS in the third and fourth states to cast ballots for the 2020 Democratic nomination.
Biden tops Warren by 21 points in South Carolina — 37% of likely voters back the former vice president, 16% Warren and 11% Sanders. In Nevada, there is no clear leader, with Biden and Sanders tied at 22% of likely caucusgoers with 18% for Warren, all within the poll’s margin of sampling error. In neither state does any other candidate reach double-digits.
Biden’s strong standing in South Carolina rests on support from black voters. Overall, 45% of black likely primary voters back Biden, more than 30 points ahead of his closest competitor. Among white likely primary voters, however, Biden and Warren are deadlocked: 29% favor Biden, 28% Warren.
Nevada’s three-way race rests on the demographic and political divides that are driving the contest nationwide. Liberal likely caucusgoers break heavily for Sanders, while moderate and conservative caucusgoers give Biden a wide edge. Those under age 50 break toward Sanders: 35% for him vs. 13% for Warren and 12% for Biden. Among those over 50, 32% back Biden, 23% Warren and 11% Sanders. Voters with college degrees are more in Warren’s corner, while those without degrees split between Sanders and Biden with Warren lagging behind.