Sanders Dominates Youth Vote and Regains Second Spot in New National 2020 Poll

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at Queensbridge Park in New York on October 19, 2019. (Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Sanders Dominates Youth Vote and Regains Second Spot in New National 2020 Poll

"Young people polled across the country have consistently chosen Bernie as their guy. Maybe it's because they know he's gonna cancel student debt!" said Sanders adviser Winnie Wong.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has regained the number two spot in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and continues to dominate the field among young voters, according to a national Emerson tracking poll released Tuesday.

The survey showed a tight race at the top of the Democratic primary, with former Vice President Joe Biden polling at 27 percent, Sanders at 25 percent, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 21 percent. The margin of error was 4.7 percentage points.

The poll put Sanders's support among voters between the ages of 18-29 at 45 percent. Warren and Biden trailed far behind at 17 and 12 percent, respectively.

"I'm not an avid rider of the poller coaster, but young people polled across the country have consistently chosen Bernie as their guy," tweeted Winnie Wong, Sanders's senior political adviser. "Maybe it's because they know he's gonna cancel student debt!"

Sanders gained three percentage points overall since Emerson's September survey, released just days before Vermont senator was hospitalized for a minor heart attack.

Emerson's October survey comes in the wake of a strong and "energetic" performance by Sanders last week at the 2020 Democratic presidential debate in Ohio and after the senator held a "Bernie's Back" rally in New York City on Saturday that was attended by over 25,000 people. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) officially endorsed Sanders at the event, applauding his "enormous, consistent, and nonstop" work to build a mass progressive movement.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, journalist Walker Bragman said the new Emerson survey is evidence of the resiliency of Sanders's campaign in the face of powerful opposition.

"Bernie Sanders has had the entire D.C. establishment--politicians, operatives, and media--against him for four years now," Bragman wrote. "He's been ignored, dismissed, and smeared. On top of it, he's even had a heart attack. And yet, he's still polling #2 nationally within the margin of error of #1."

"No other candidate running has been so resilient," Bragman added. "Bernie holds the largest rallies, has by far the largest donor network, excites young people, and has been shown to perform best against Trump in states like Texas and Wisconsin."

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