(CNN) Joe Biden is ahead! By a lot! And by a lot more than he was just a few months ago!

That's the obvious takeaway from a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS examining the 2020 Democratic primary. The former vice president stands alone in first place with 34% followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 19% and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 16%. None of the other 15(!) candidates in the race made it into double digits.

That's very good news for Biden. As is the fact that he has jumped 10 points since a CNN poll done in September while support for both Warren and Sanders stayed generally static over the same time.

But, that's not the real story here. The real story is how Biden is ahead in this poll. And that answer is the key to understanding whether or not Biden will ultimately be the party's nominee.

Since I'm a good guy, I'll tell you the answer: Biden is ahead because he is consolidating his support among non-white voters, a key voting bloc among whom he already had a very clear edge over his primary rivals.

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