Biden opens up colossal lead over Sanders in latest Democrat 2020 election poll

Former vice president’s lead is increasing according to the most recent surveys

Joe Biden has opened up a 32-point lead over his nearest rival for the Democrat nomination for the presidency in 2020, according to a new poll.

Since entering the race to take on Donald Trump in April, the former vice president has set a new record for fundraising in the first 24 hours of a campaign – $6.3m (£4.8m) – and pushed his way to the top of most polls.

Mr Biden beat the fundraising record of Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who sits in second place in the The Hill-HarrisX poll with 14 per cent of respondents to Mr Biden’s 46 per cent. The poll, which was taken over the weekend and released on Monday, involved 440 voters and is the latest in a trend of polls that has shown Mr Biden increasing his lead over his rivals.

In the last two weeks, three other polls of more than 1,000 registered voters have put Mr Biden ahead of Mr Sanders by 24, 26 and 30 percentage points. According to an average of polls over the last month, Mr Biden has a lead of 22.3 points.

While not too much should be read into polls before the primaries begin, particularly given Mr Sanders’ experience of the race in 2016, it is clear that Mr Biden is leaving little room for the more than 20 other candidates in the field. Both Mr Biden and Mr Sanders would beat Mr Trump at the ballot box according to a recent poll.

The latest poll moves former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg – one of the surprise packages in this year’s race – into third position on 8 per cent, with Senator Elizabeth Warren in fourth place on 7 per cent. Ms Warren still holds third place when an average of polls is taken, on 7.3 per cent.

California Senator Kamala Harris is fifth on 6 per cent – although she is likely to get a boost in forthcoming polls after her tough questioning of Attorney General William Barr over special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report.

All others are polling at less than five per cent, with candidates like Beto O’Rouke (3 per cent) dropping after entering the race to much fanfare earlier this year.

The fact that Mr Biden is looming so heavily over the race has pushed candidates into announcing a number of ambitious policy positions to try and gain traction.

Mr O’Rouke has announced what he described as the “most ambitious plan to confront climate change we have ever seen” including investing $5 trillion in infrastructure and innovation projects over the next decade.

As for Ms Warren, she has announced plans to cancel $50,000 in student loans for many Americans, and New Jersey senator Cory Booker has mapped out what he has labelled “the most sweeping gun violence prevention plan ever seen by a presidential candidate”.

Mr Biden’s campaign is not without its own problems, including the former vice president facing allegations from a number of women that he greeted and touched them inappropriately in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. Mr Biden has said it is “his responsibility” to act with more consideration in future.