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Joe Biden Still Leads in South Carolina Ahead of Primary, Poll Shows

Joe Biden Still Leads in South Carolina Ahead of Primary, Poll Shows

(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden remains in the lead in South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s primary, despite Bernie Sanders’s surge nationally, according to a poll released Monday.

The survey from Public Policy Polling showed the former vice president with 36% support, followed by Sanders at 21%.

The rest of the field was much further behind, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at 8% and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was a 7%.

Hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, who has invested heavily in the state and had surged into double-digits in several recent polls, was also at 7%. Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard had 6% and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was at 3%.

The poll was good news for Biden, who is betting on a strong showing in South Carolina to revive his campaign after faring poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire and coming in second to Sanders in Nevada.

Biden is benefiting from continued strong support from African-American voters, who make up the majority of South Carolina’s Democratic electorate. He had the backing of 50% of black voters in the poll, while 21% backed Sanders.

Biden was the only candidate in the South Carolina poll with more than half of respondents rating him highly, with a 61% favorable rating and 20% unfavorable.

By comparison, Sanders was at 47% favorable, 35% unfavorable.

The poll of 866 likely Democratic primary voters conducted Feb. 23 and 24 had a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.

Another poll conducted before the Nevada caucuses by NBC/Marist found a closer race, with Biden in the lead with 27%, Sanders at 23% and Steyer at 15%.

That poll showed Buttigieg at 9%, Warren at 8%, Klobuchar at 5% and Gabbard at 3%.

The poll of 539 likely Democratic voters, taken Feb. 18-21, had a margin of error of 6 percentage points.

(DISCLAIMER: Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Teague Beckwith in Washington, D.C. at rbeckwith3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, Magan Crane

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