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Sanders leads poll of young Democrats by double digits

Monday, 01 April 2019 3:07 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 01 April 2019 4:02 PM ]

US Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a campaign rally at the Great Meadow Park in Fort Mason on March 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (AFP photo)

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who has announced he is running for president again, holds a double-digit lead among young voters in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, a poll shows.

According to the poll by Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School released on Monday, 31 of likely voters between 18 and 29 years old said they prefer Sanders in a hypothetical primary.

Twenty percent of respondents picked former Vice President Joe Biden, while 10 percent of respondents supported former Representative Beto O'Rourke. No other candidate received more than 5 percent support from the likely voters.

Twenty percent of the likely voters said they remain undecided, showing that the youth vote might shift.

“Proving that young voters see more than age, it’s notable that the candidates with the most experience in government service are leading a diverse field at this early stage in the process,” John Della Volpe, director of polling for the Institute of Politics, said in a statement.

“Compared to this point in the last presidential cycle, young Democratic voters are more engaged and likely to have an even greater impact in choosing their party’s nominee,” he added.

Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2016, losing out to Hillary Clinton, who in turn was defeated by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.

Sanders mounted a fierce challenge to Clinton as he spoke to swelling crowds and garnered passionate support on social media. His 2016 campaign also rejected the use of corporate money and instead relied on small-dollar donations.

His call for universal health care, a $15 minimum wage and free public university education has gained huge strong support among young liberals.

A former mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders won a US House of Representatives seat in 1990, making him the first independent elected to the House in 40 years. In 2006, he won a US Senate seat and in 2018 was voted in for a third six-year term.

Biden running for president in 2020: Lawmaker

Senior House Democratic lawmaker announces Joe Biden's intention to run for president in the 2020 election.

The Vermont senator’s support among young voters has consistently placed him near the top of national and early state vote polls.

According to reporters, Biden is also planning to run for president in the 2020 election, but he has not formally announced his candidacy yet. He, however, Biden has described himself as the “most qualified person” to be president.

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