Former Vice President Joe Biden is facing more trouble in Iowa as he sinks to fourth place in Real Clear Politics’ latest aggregate of polls following the release of a new Quinnipiac Poll published Wednesday.
Biden, according to Quinnipiac, is holding onto 15 percent in the critical first-in-the-nation caucus state as the former vice president continues to see his support slide, dropping down to fourth place in both Quinnipiac and the Real Clear aggregate behind Senator Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
The Quinnipiac poll shows Warren in first place with 20 percent, Buttigieg in second place with 19 percent, Sanders behind at 17 percent and Biden down to 15 percent with a +/-4.5 percent margin of error.
The poll also sparks significance for Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. The poll qualifies Gabbard for this month’s debate and completes Klobuchar’s threshold to qualify for the debate in December.
To qualify for the November debate, candidates must show 165,000 unique donors in addition to hitting at least 5 percent support or higher in two polls conducted in four early voting states including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Candidates can also hit 3 percent support in four polls in the early voting sates or national polls pre-approved by the DNC.
The threshold to earn a podium on stage in December is higher, with candidates required to show 200,000 unique donors and earning 6 percent support in two polls conducted in the early voting states. Candidates may also qualify by hitting the donor threshold and garnering 4 percent support or higher in four polls conducted in the early voting states or national surveys,
The Quinnipiac polls released Wednesday marks Klobuchar’s fourth and final poll required for the December stage by hitting above 4 percent in an early voting state by scoring 5 percent in Iowa. Klobuchar will join Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, Warren, and California Senator Kamala Harris in a debate hosted and moderated by Politico and PBS.
Gabbard has yet to meet the DNC threshold for the December debate but will now join a wider stage of candidates later this month featuring Biden, Buttigieg, Harris, Klobuchar, Warren, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, billionaire Tom Steyer, and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang in Georgia hosted and moderated by MSNBC and the Washington Post.
Biden’s fall in Iowa comes as the national frontrunner has begun to downplay expectations in the Hawkeye State.
“I think we’re the only ones who don’t have to win Iowa, honestly, because out strength is the fact that we have a broad and diverse coalition,” Biden campaign manager Greg Schultz told the Wall Street Journal Monday.
Biden’s campaign has struggled as Biden continues to appear forgetful on the trail and the scandals surrounding his son’s shady business dealings with Ukraine continue to stay in the spotlight along with President Donald Trump’s impeachment investigation.
The Quinnipiac poll was conducted from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 and surveyed 698 likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa.
