Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Joe Biden should enact critical government reforms if he wins MORE leads the field of Democratic presidential contenders nationally, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenOvernight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds On The Money: Half of states deplete funds for Trump's 0 unemployment expansion | EU appealing ruling in Apple tax case | House Democrats include more aid for airlines in coronavirus package Warren, Khanna request IG investigation into Pentagon's use of coronavirus funds MORE (D-Mass.) has seen her front-runner status slip, according to the Monmouth University poll released on Tuesday.

The poll shows Biden in the top spot with 26 percent support. Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersTrump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Sanders tells Maher 'there will be a number of plans' to remove Trump if he loses Sirota reacts to report of harassment, doxing by Harris supporters MORE (I-Vt.), meanwhile, finished in second place with 21 percent support, just within the survey’s 5-point margin of error.

Warren finished in third place with 17 percent support — a 6-point drop since Monmouth’s last national primary poll in November and 11 points down from where she was in a similar September survey. Still, she’s not far behind Sanders, and her favorability among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters ties that of Biden at 76 percent.

ADVERTISEMENT

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBillionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice MORE (D), who has gained momentum in Iowa and New Hampshire in recent months, sits in a distant fourth place with 8 percent support in the nominating contest, according to the Monmouth poll. That’s statistically identical to the 9 percent support he notched in the university’s November survey.

The poll results suggest that, less than two months before voting begins in the nominating contest, the top tier of the primary field remains fluid, with no single candidate pulling away from the rest of the pack.

There’s some evidence that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg Michael BloombergBloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida Democratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida Bloomberg pays fines for 32,000 felons in Florida so they can vote MORE, who entered the primary contest only last month, has seen some early traction at the national level. He took the fifth-place spot in the Monmouth poll with 5 percent support, putting him narrowly ahead of rivals who have been campaigning for months like Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE (D-Minn.), who finished in sixth place with 4 percent support.

That early success may be due in part to Bloomberg’s aggressive approach to paid media.

The billionaire businessman, who has said he has no plans to compete in the first four primary and caucus states, has already spent tens of millions of dollars of his personal fortune on national advertising campaigns, helping him drive name recognition after a late entrance into the presidential race.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Monmouth poll also carries warning signs for Bloomberg. Only 40 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters surveyed reported a favorable opinion of the former New York City mayor, putting him behind Biden, Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang Andrew YangBiden's latest small business outreach is just ... awful Doctor who allegedly assaulted Evelyn Yang arrested on federal charges The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden weighs in on police shootings | Who's moderating the debates | Trump trails in post-convention polls MORE on that front.

Among all registered voters surveyed, Bloomberg’s favorability is at a meager 26 percent, well behind President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE, who notched 46 percent favorability. That’s a shaky start for a candidate who was driven into the race by the belief that he was best positioned to defeat Trump in 2020.

“Bloomberg said he got into this race because he wants to defeat Trump, but his campaign kicks off with even lower ratings than the incumbent,” said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “That is not the most auspicious start, but views of Bloomberg are not as deeply held as they are for Trump, so he has room to shift those opinions.”

Still, there’s a sense among U.S. voters that it’s time for a change in the White House. The poll shows a slight majority of voters — 54 percent — want to elect a different president in 2020, while 43 percent believe Trump should be elected to a second term in the Oval Office.

Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters are also more motivated by the prospect of defeating Trump in 2020 than in electing a candidate they are ideologically aligned with, the poll found. Fifty-six percent said they would rather nominate a candidate they do not agree with but would perform well in a matchup against Trump than choose someone that shares their values but would have a tough time beating the incumbent.

ADVERTISEMENT

Among those who prioritize electability in the Democratic nominating contest, 31 percent support Biden, according to the Monmouth poll. Warren and Sanders are statistically tied on that front, coming in at 18 percent and 17 percent, while only 8 percent chose Buttigieg.

Sanders has the most support among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters who see issue alignment as more important, with 33 percent. Biden and Warren are tied among those voters with 15 percent each. Buttigieg carried 12 percent of respondents who prioritized issue alignment over electability, the Monmouth poll found.

The Monmouth University poll surveyed 838 registered voters, including 384 registered Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters, from Dec. 4 to 8. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points for the full sample and 5 points for the sample of Democratic and Democratic-leaning respondents.