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Vice President Joe Biden has edged past Bernie Sanders in a new national poll of Democratic voters, while Hillary Clinton continues to lead the Democratic field but has lost ground since last month.

The new Monmouth University poll shows that 42 percent of Democrats back Clinton, 22 percent support Biden and 20 percent favor Sanders.

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Clinton's support has dropped from 52 percent in August to 42 percent now.

It has been a significant boost for Biden, who has yet to make a decision about whether he'll seek the presidency. Biden secured 12 percent support when Monmouth polled Democrats last month.

Biden is also enjoying a boost in his favorability rating, with 71 percent of Democrats giving him a thumbs up, while only nine percent hold a negative view. Last month, 67 percent viewed him favorably, while 14 percent viewed him unfavorably.

Despite losing ground in the new poll, Clinton is still viewed in a positive light by the vast majority of Democratic voters. Her favorability rating has remained stable at 71 percent favorable, 17 percent unfavorable.

Her lead of 20 points over her next closest challenger also represents a more robust status as a frontrunner than her GOP counterpart.

A Monmouth poll last week showed GOP frontrunner Donald Trump leading the GOP field at 30 percent, followed by Ben Carson at 18 percent.