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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is holding on to her place as the second favorite among likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa, according to a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Seventeen percent choose the Massachusetts senator as their top candidate, earning her 1 more percentage point since the November Iowa Poll, but putting her still 5 points behind her 22% high in September, when she led the poll.

"Though she technically is in second place, there really is a mix of good and bad news there," said J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll.

Warren is viewed favorably by 70% of likely Democratic caucusgoers, the highest favorability rating among the 14 candidates tested.

She is also viewed favorably among those who define themselves as very liberal, 93% — a challenge for left-leaning competitor U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders is viewed favorably by 82% of the very liberal group, although when asked their choices for president slightly more of the very liberal group back Sanders over Warren.

The poll of 701 likely Democratic caucusgoers was conducted Jan. 2-8, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Perhaps the brightest spot is her footprint in Iowa — those who have identified Warren as their first or second choice or are actively considering her as a candidate, 59%. That is just below former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, at 60%, and above Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, both at 55%.

Voter guide:Don’t have a lot of time? Find FAQs on the key issues, where the candidates stand and more.

Candidates on the issues:Find out how candidates plan to tackle health care, climate change, gun violence and more.

She also is the second choice for the plurality of respondents who pick Sanders as their first choice and for those who pick Buttigieg as their first choice.

She does well with women under age 45, at 27%, and leads all candidates in support from those with college degrees, at 21%.

But the new poll also includes some less positive signs for Warren.

Warren does better with younger caucusgoers than older, “but Sanders has a stronger hold on this group," Selzer said.

However, fewer of her supporters say she is the candidate they like best and has the best chance to defeat President Donald Trump, 55%, compared to supporters of Biden, 69%, or Sanders, 66%. Thirty-one percent of Warren’s supporters say she is the candidate they like best, “though someone else has a better chance to defeat President Trump” — the highest among the four candidates atop the poll.

More coverage on the Iowa Poll:

Susan Dickinson, 27, of Iowa City, is among the poll respondents who think Warren can defeat the president. She believes the nominee needs to be someone who can inspire people to come off the sidelines to vote.

“I would honestly love to see her on a debate stage with Trump. I think she’s incredibly well-prepared; she’s a brilliant woman; and she puts a lot of thought into everything that she says and does,” said Dickinson, who works for the University of Iowa. “Her vision for what the country can be is inspiring, and I think the more people who hear that, the more likely they are to vote for her.”

Warren is last among the top four candidates in supporters who say leading the military would be more of a strength than a weakness, 58%. After the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and the escalating tensions in the Middle East, that may be a weak spot for Warren moving forward.

Further, when likely caucusgoers were asked which candidates' health care policy most closely aligns with their own views, 24% reply that Sanders' policy was closest. Fourteen percent reply that Warren's policy is closest. Both Sanders and Warren have backed "Medicare for All."

Register to vote:To caucus on Feb. 3, you must be registered to vote. Register or check your status here.​​​​​​​

About this poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted Jan. 2-8, 2020, for the Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 3,131 registered voters in Iowa, including 701 who say they will definitely or probably attend the 2020 Democratic caucuses.

Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted randomly selected active voters from the Iowa secretary of state’s voter registration list by telephone. The sample was supplemented with additional phone number lookups. Interviews were administered in English. Responses for all registered voters were adjusted by age and congressional district to reflect their proportions among active voters in the list.

Questions based on the sample of 701 voters likely to attend the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Questions based on the sample of 3,131 registered voters have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 3.7 or 1.8 percentage points, respectively. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to the Des Moines Register, CNN, and Mediacom is prohibited.

► MORE ON THIS POLL: Read our methodology

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259.

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