US: Sanders takes lead over Biden in new national poll

WASHINGTON

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.