Biden keeps sliding in new North Carolina poll as another candidate edges toward lead
A new poll shows Sen. Bernie Sanders gaining momentum in North Carolina as former vice president Joe Biden has been plummeting in national polls ahead of the Super Tuesday Democratic primary.
The High Point University poll, released Wednesday, shows Sanders polling with 25% of registered voters in North Carolina and Biden trailing with 19%. Among likely voters, however, those numbers flip, with Biden in the lead at 24% and Sanders in second with 20%.
Polls have shown Biden with a healthy lead in North Carolina for months, but his numbers have been dropping in recent weeks before taking a nose dive, just as the primary season started, according to polling site FiveThirtyEight.
In November, a High Point University poll put Biden at 33% and Sanders at 18% among North Carolinians who identified as Democratic voters.
The latest North Carolina poll comes on the heels of the New Hampshire primary, with the race focused on Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg pulled off a narrow win in the Iowa caucuses, and Sanders took the lead in the close election in New Hampshire.
Buttigieg has gained some traction in North Carolina after his success in the first-in-the-nation caucus and primary, going from about 5.3% to 8.3%, according to FiveThirtyEight and the High Point University poll.
North Carolina voters will cast ballots for the presidential primary March 3, when several other states have Super Tuesday elections.
However, early voting begins Thursday in North Carolina, when Mike Bloomberg plans to campaign in Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Sanders also will visit North Carolina with stops Friday in Durham and Charlotte.
According to the new poll, “North Carolinians give Trump a job approval rating of 42%, with half (50%) of North Carolina residents saying they disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president.”
Here are the results from the High Point University poll:
| Likely voters (%) | Registered Voters (%) | |
| Bernie Sanders | 20 | 25 |
| Joe Biden | 24 | 19 |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | 16 | 13 |
| Elizabeth Warren | 11 | 12 |
| Pete Buttigieg | 8 | 6 |
| Amy Klobuchar | 3 | 3 |
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 1:00 PM.
