Joe Biden Leads Rivals in Two Nevada Polls: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden leads in two new polls of likely Nevada caucus goers even as he’s fallen behind in surveys of Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The former vice president had the support of 29% of likely caucus goers in a poll conducted for the Nevada Independent, a news nonprofit, by the Mellman Group, a Democratic polling firm. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren tied for second place at 19%. In another Nevada poll, conducted by Emerson College, Biden was at 30%, Warren was at 22% and Sanders was at 19%. In both surveys, no other candidate polled in the double digits.

The Nevada caucuses are the third nominating contest after Iowa and New Hampshire. Nevada is the first contest in a racially diverse state.

The two polls come ahead of the Nevada Democratic Party’s Nov. 17 First in the West dinner, a major event that in 2015 drew thousands to hear from the Democratic presidential candidates.

In the Nevada Independent poll, Pete Buttigieg had the support of 7% of likely caucus goers, while Tom Steyer was at 4%, and Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Andrew Yang were all at 3%. In the Emerson poll, Buttigieg, Harris and Yang were all all 5%, while Steyer was at 3%.

Obama Alumni Help Joe Biden’s Fundraising (3:40 PM)

Several alumni of the Obama administration are raising money for Joe Biden this week in Washington, and investor Alan Patricof is reaching out to his large donor network ahead of a fundraiser in New York early next month, as the former vice president tries to bounce back from third-quarter fundraising that lagged that of his top Democratic rivals.
Former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, and former White House staffers Bob Bauer, Jay Carney and Pete Rouse, are among the hosts of Wednesday’s event in Washington at the home of Jeff Zients, who served as director of the National Economic Council. Some Obama alumni advising Biden’s campaign, including Anita Dunn and Tony Blinken, are also on the list. Sally Yates, who briefly served as acting attorney general before being fired by President Donald Trump, is also a host.

Biden met donors Sunday at the home of former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a fundraiser. His schedule for the next several weeks includes fundraisers on both coasts, including one in New York on Dec. 3 at the home of Arne Glimcher, the art dealer who founded the Pace Gallery. Hosts for the event include Patricof, co-founder of Greycroft Partners LLC; Thomas H. Lee, chairman and co-founder of Thomas H. Lee Partners; and Danny Meyer, the founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, and the founder of Shake Shack.

Patricof, who like many other major donors has given to several Democratic candidates, announced in September that he’d decided to support Biden because he “has the best chance to beat Donald Trump and restore dignity and honor to the Oval Office,” according to an email sent along with the fundraiser invitation. -- Jennifer Epstein

Only Biden Tops Trump in Battleground States (6:35 a.m.)

Donald Trump is competitive in head-to-head match ups with top Democrats in six key battleground states, according to a new set of New York Times/Siena College polls.

Across Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina -- the six states that Trump won most narrowly in 2016 -- the president trails Joe Biden by an average of two percentage points among registered voters -- within the margin of error.

Trump leads Elizabeth Warren, who has been edging out Biden for front-runner status, by two points among registered voters in those states. That’s the same margin by which he won over Hillary Clinton there three years ago.

The surveys are positive news for Trump, who faces low approval ratings nationwide and as he battles a House impeachment inquiry. A Democratic path to victory in 2020 likely would need to include several of those states.

The poll of 3,766 registered voters was conducted Oct. 13 to 26. It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points in every state except for Michigan, where the margin was 5.1 points. -- Kathleen Hunter

COMING UP

Tuesday is Election Day and voters in Kentucky and Mississippi cast ballots for new state governors. Virginia holds state legislature elections in what will be key tests for Democrats and Republicans ahead of 2020 races.

President Donald Trump holds a rally Wednesday in Monroe, Louisiana, where Governor John Bel Edwards, the only Democratic governor in the Deep South, is facing Republican challenger Eddie Rispone, who describes himself as a conservative businessman, in a Nov. 16 runoff vote.

--With assistance from Kathleen Hunter.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.net

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

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.