Iowa Poll Has Biden Leading and Warren in the Wings

For voters planning to attend Democratic caucuses in Iowa, at least, the presidential field is getting clarity. Joe Biden resides at the top, followed by a rung that includes Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg, a Des Moines Register/Mediacom/CNN poll shows. The former vice president has the caucus vote of 24% of respondents, the Des Moines Register reports. Sanders has 16%, Warren 15%, and Buttigieg 14%. "There’s a lot more commitment than we normally see this early," the pollster said. And then there's everyone else: No other candidate is in double digits.

Kamala Harris polled 7%, while Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke both drew 2%. By one measure, the results are tighter than they look. Among voters planning attend a caucus in person, rather than use the new virtual causes process, 61% have Biden as their first choice, second choice, or say he's on their "under consideration" list. But Warren also shows up for 61% of those voters, per the Register. "That’s a strong showing for Elizabeth Warren,” the pollster said. "It says to me there are people who are paying attention." When caucus night arrives in February, candidates must meet a 15% threshold to be viable. It's too early to write off the candidates who fall below that now, the pollster said. (More Iowa caucuses stories.)