Advertisement Warren, Biden in virtual dead heat in Saint Anselm College poll of NH primary voters Massachusetts senator continues rise in first-primary state; Sanders in third place Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is now in a virtual dead heat with former Vice President Joe Biden in the first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary campaign, according to a new poll.>> Download the FREE WMUR appThe latest Saint Anselm College Center Survey Center poll shows that Warren’s overall upward trajectory is evident in New Hampshire, as it has been recently in national polls.The survey of 423 Granite State registered voters who intend to vote in the Democratic primary showed that Warren is the favorite of 25 percent and Biden is the top choice of 24 percent – well within the poll’s 4.8 percent margin of error. The poll was conducted Sept. 25-29 by landline and cellphone calling and is the third Saint Anselm poll of the 2020 primary campaign.View the poll results here and here. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the landslide winner of the 2016 Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire, is in third place with 11 percent, essentially tied with South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was backed by 10 percent of those polled.All other candidates are in single digits.Sen. Kamala Harris was the top choice of 5 percent, while U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Sen. Amy Klobuchar received 3 percent each. Philanthropist/activist Tom Steyer and entrepreneur Andrew Yang each received support from 2 percent of those polled, while Sen. Cory Booker was backed by 1 percent.Receiving the support of less than 1 percent of those polled were former U.S. Rep. John Delaney, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Sen. Michael Bennet, author Marianne Williamson and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro received no support in the poll, while 9 percent were undecided.Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, said the race remains fluid.He said that 65 percent of Warren supporters, 72 percent of Biden supporters, 56 percent of Sanders supporters and 73 percent of Buttigieg supporters “indicate that they expect that their choice could change between now and the primary election.”Levesque noted that Warren is the second choice of 26 percent of those polled, far more than any other candidate.“This suggests that when the field begins to winnow down, Warren may be in the best position to pick up other candidates’ support,” Levesque said.The poll shows that Warren was the top choice when voters were asked who they believe would make the best president, by a margin of 27 percent to 19 percent over Biden.But when the voters were asked who would be the strongest Democratic nominee against President Donald Trump, 37 percent chose Biden and 26 percent chose Warren.Biden was also the top choice, by far, of the voters when asked who would “best unify our nation.” The former vice president was the choice of 31 percent, while Warren was second with 15 percent.Levesque said those numbers suggest that the primary is “likely turning into a two-person race, absent a big shake-up.”The Saint Anselm poll follows a Monmouth University poll in mid-September that also showed Warren, with 27 percent, and Biden, with 25 percent, in a virtual tie.The new Saint Anselm poll reflects a major change in the New Hampshire race since college’s previous poll in mid-summer.In a July 10-12 poll, conducted three weeks after the first Democratic presidential debate in Miami, Harris had jumped into second place, with 18 percent, and was close behind Biden, who then had 21 percent, while Warren was third at 17 percent.Harris showed the sharpest drop between the July poll and the current poll.Most of the candidates support the impeachment of Trump or an impeachment inquiry by the U.S. House, but likely primary voters were split on whether a candidate’s position on impeachment is important to their choice.While 40 percent of those polled said they would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate if they support impeachment, 41 percent said a candidate’s position on impeachment would have no effect on their vote. Only 20 percent said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports impeachment.The likely voters also, by large margins, showed that they would be more likely to vote for candidates who support the Green New Deal, a tax on the “ultra-wealthy,” Medicare for All, free college tuition and new regulations on big banks and Wall Street.In other key findings, Buttigieg had the strongest favorable/unfavorable rating among voters, with 64 percent viewing him favorably and 13 percent viewing him unfavorably. Warren was viewed favorably by 69 percent and unfavorably by 23 percent, while Biden was viewed favorably by 62 percent and unfavorably by 29 percent.Voters were split on whether age is important when considering candidates, with 52 percent saying it is not important and 47 percent saying it is important.And although 89 percent said gender is not important to their choice of a candidate, 74 percent said it is time for a woman to be elected president.