Biden Loses National Lead as Sanders, Buttigieg Surge After Iowa

2020 Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden has denied that his campaign is bleeding support after he came in fourth place in the Iowa caucuses, but a series of new polls may say otherwise.

Three new national polls that were conducted entirely after the Iowa caucuses show Biden trailing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). 

During Monday’s interview on “CBS This Morning,” Biden denied that his campaign is in trouble, as he claimed that he had not seen a “diminution” in support nationally and that he was looking forward to states with a more diverse population. 

Watch the video below:

However, at the time of the interview, there had not been polls released that were conducted after his disappointing showing in Iowa.

A new Monmouth University poll found Sanders leading Biden 26% to 16%. That represents a three-percent bump for Sanders, but a 14% drop for Biden from the same poll conducted last month.

A new Morning Consult poll also found Sanders leading with 25% support nationally to Biden’s 22%.

Separately, a Quinnipiac poll showed Sanders leading Biden 25% to 17%, which represents a four-point increase for Sanders and a nine-point decrease for Biden since January. 

The new Quinnipiac poll could also undercut Biden’s claim that he enjoys overwhelming support among minority voters. The poll conducted between February 5 and February 9 found that support for Biden among African American voters dropped from 49% to 27%. 

In that same CBS interview, Biden said that no candidate has won the Democratic presidential nomination without the overwhelming support of African American voters.

Earlier polls showed Biden received the largest share of African American support — something Biden has touted throughout the campaign as proof that he has the backing of minority voters.

While Biden still leads the pack among support from minority voters, according to the Quinnipiac poll, it could make his chances of rebounding in South Carolina even harder.

Biden has been looking to South Carolina, which has a more diverse electorate, to boost his campaign and dismissed the suggestion that poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire would be a death knell to his shot at winning the nomination.

On Tuesday, Biden announced that he was and would be skipping a previously planned election party in New Hampshire to campaign in South Carolina.

“I am looking forward to traveling to South Carolina this evening and Nevada later this week to carry our campaign forward and hear from the diverse voters whose voices must be heard in this process to select the Democratic nominee who will unite this country to defeat Donald Trump,” Biden said in a statement.

Biden’s decision to skip the election night party comes as recent polls have shown Sanders leading in New Hampshire, while Pete Buttigieg leading has surged to second place. Meanwhile, he is locked in a close race for third with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

During the Democratic primary debate last Friday, Biden said that he “took a hit” in Iowa and that he would “probably take a hit” in New Hampshire as well. 

However, Biden told reporters on Tuesday that, “We’re still mildly hopeful here in New Hampshire.”