A new Des Moines Register/CNN poll shows Pete Buttigieg skyrocketing past the three former front-runners in Iowa. The poll shows the 2020 Democratic candidates holding the following positions in Iowa:
- Pete Buttigieg – 25%
- Elizabeth Warren – 16%
- Joe Biden – 15%
- Bernie Snaders – 15%
- Amy Klobuchar – 6%
- Cory Booker – 3%
- Tulsi Gabbard – 3%
- Kamala Harris – 3%
- Tom Steyer – 3%
- Andrew Yang – 3%
- Michael Bloomberg – 2%
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1195868775641493504
Earlier in the week, Monmouth University released an Iowa poll with similar results. Buttigieg held first place there also, yet with Warren and Biden much closer behind. In the newly released Des Moines Register/CNN poll, Buttigieg holds a lead by nine points, followed by Warren, who is essentially tied with Biden and Sanders at 16 percent.
Buttigieg spent $870,000 on television advertisements in Iowa from November 5 to 11. At first it appeared Buttigieg had only caused a polling fluke due to his expensive ad targeting, and his national polling average at 8 percent. But, with a second poll released, not only does it appear his ad targeting worked, but Buttigieg may have a chance at winning in the Iowa caucus.
Buttigieg still faces an uphill battle, but Iowa voters appear to think he can beat President Trump. According to the new poll, 63 percent of Democrats say it’s more important to nominate a candidate with a strong chance to beat Trump than to nominate a Democrat who shares their positions of major policy initiatives.
“A majority — 63% — say it’s more important to nominate a candidate with a strong chance to beat the president than to nominate a Democrat who shares their positions on major issues. Thirty-two percent say the opposite.”
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) November 17, 2019
While poll respondents were far from certain that Buttigieg could beat Trump in a general election, he polls far better than the other top candidates do in that respect.
Of the top four candidates in Iowa, 19 percent of voters said they were “almost certain” Buttigieg would ultimately lose his presidential bid. However, these numbers are higher for other candidates. Sanders is the weakest here, with 31 percent saying he will lose, 24 percent for Warren, and 21 percent for Biden.
With Buttigieg’s newfound posture in Iowa, is likely the South Bend mayor will face more questions during the fifth round of Democratic debates. The debates take place November 20 in Atlanta, moderated by MSNBC and the Washington Post.
