Poll: Maryland Democrats are Backing Biden, Then Warren
Maryland Democratic voters favor former Vice President Joe Biden over the other Democratic candidates in a crowded 2020 race for president, according to the Goucher Poll.
Thirty-three percent of likely Democratic voters said they will vote for Biden. Twenty-one percent said they would vote for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and 10 percent would vote for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
California Sen. Kamala Harris would get 6 percent support and 5 percent of those polled said they would pick South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Seven candidates received support from 1 percent or less of those polled, including former Maryland congressman John K. Delaney. Also hovering at 1 percent or less: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julian Castro, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. The remaining candidates in the field weren’t offered as the first choice by any of the 300 likely Democrats polled Sept. 13-19. The poll had a 5.6-point margin of error.
“Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren are currently the frontrunners among Maryland Democratic likely voters. Their respective levels of support here in Maryland are nearly identical to the support each receives in recent national polls,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College. “Democrats in Maryland are divided over whether they want a more moderate or progressive nominee and whether nominating a candidate who can defeat Trump or match their policy preferences is their top priority.”
Forty-two percent of those polled said they prefer a moderate nominee and 45 percent preferred a progressive nominee.
Voters’ preferences may be driven by displeasure of President Trump.
Forty-six percent of likely Democratic voters say it’s more important to find a candidate who is likely to defeat Trump in a general election, compared to 40 percent who said it was more important to find a candidate whose positions most closely match theirs.
Overall, the Democratic voters held favorable views of several candidates outside of their top choices.
Warren led in favorability measures, with 68 percent saying they hold a favorable view of her, compared to 14 percent who hold an unfavorable view toward her.
More than 50 percent of those polled also had a favorable view of Biden, Sanders and Harris.
Danielle E. Gaines
Contributor
Danielle Gaines worked for Maryland Matters from September 2018 to January 2024. She covered government and politics for Maryland Matters for two years before moving into an editing position, ultimately serving as editor-in-chief for nearly three years. Previously, she spent six years at The Frederick News-Post ― as the paper’s principal government and politics reporter for half that time, covering courts and legal affairs before that. She also reported for the now-defunct The Gazette of Politics and Business in Maryland and previously worked as a county government and education reporter at The Merced Sun-Star in California’s Central Valley.
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