Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden leads his 2020 Democratic presidential rivals among a pool of voters across 18 early primary and caucus states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to a CBS News “Battleground Tracker” survey released Sunday.
Mr. Biden was the first choice among 31% of voters likely to participate in a primary or caucus, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 17% and Sen. Bernard Sanders at 16%.
Sen. Kamala Harris was next at 10%, followed by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 8% and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke at 5%.
No other candidate topped 2% support.
In Iowa, Mr. Biden was the first choice among 30% of respondents, followed by Mr. Sanders at 22%, Ms. Warren at 12% and Mr. Buttigieg at 11%.
In New Hampshire, Mr. Biden was at 33%, followed by Mr. Sanders at 20% and Ms. Warren at 17%.
And in South Carolina, Mr. Biden was the first choice among 45% of respondents — well ahead of Mr. Sanders, the next-closest competitor, at 18%.
Among likely voters considering Mr. Biden, 75% said he would probably beat President Trump in a head-to-head match-up, compared to 51% of potential Sanders supporters who said the same of him, and 39% of potential Warren supporters who said the same of her.
Among likely voters considering Ms. Harris, 36% said she would probably beat Mr. Trump.
Elsewhere, 30% of those considering Mr. Buttigieg said he would probably beat Mr. Trump, and 32% of those considering Mr. O’Rourke said he would probably beat Mr. Trump.
The survey was conducted from May 31-June 12, and includes 7,885 self-identified Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents from 18 early primary and caucus states. The margin of error is about 1.5%.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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