US: Sanders takes lead over Biden in new national pol

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has taken the lead among Democrats seeking to oust U.S. President Donald Trump in November's presidential race, according to a national poll released Monday.

Sanders now leads early front-runner former Vice President Joe Biden by eight percentage points among Democratic and Democrat-leaning Independent voters, according to the Quinnipiac University poll, which has him at 25%.

Biden, meanwhile has fallen to just 17% support among those groups, while former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg garnered 15% support and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren received 14%.

Coming off a contested Iowa caucus victory, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg rounded out the top five nationally with 10% support, the Quinnipiac poll indicated. Both Buttigieg and Sanders claimed victory in Iowa in a vote that has been plagued by errors and counting inaccuracies.

The numbers indicate a big change in fortunes for Biden and Sanders who in a Jan. 28 poll received 26% and 21% support respectively. Warren has largely held steady while Bloomberg and Buttigieg have climbed the ranks.

Biden in particular had a poor showing in Iowa, where polling had shown him at the top of the pack alongside Sanders before he ultimately finished in fourth place in a major blow to his campaign.

"Clearly Biden's fourth place finish in Iowa has hurt the perception of what was his biggest strength - electability," said Quinnipiac University Poll analyst Tim Malloy.