A new poll from the Texas Lyceum indicates that while Joe Biden leads in Texas, he’s likely not the one to beat President Donald Trump in November.
Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Lyceum Poll, says Biden has the strongest support among registered potential Democratic primary voters in Texas. But when pollsters asked which candidate has the best chance of beating Trump, the majority said “Bernie Sanders.”
Pollsters surveyed 1,200 Texas adults who were a mix of registered and unregistered voters. Blank says Lyceum chose that group because adult Texans, as opposed to voters only, is a more diverse group, and could perhaps give a clearer snapshot of political sentiment.
Of the 1,200, the poll identified 401 registered, potential Democratic primary voters. Their support for six top Democratic candidates was split the following way: 28% support for Joe Biden; 26% for Bernie Sanders; 13% for Elizabeth Warren; 9% for Michael Bloomberg; 6% for Pete Buttigieg; and 3% for Amy Klobuchar. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.
But when those surveyed asked who would win a head-to-head matchup with President Trump, Sanders was the only candidate a majority of respondents said would win. Blank says that response was common especially among 18- to 29-year-olds and among independent voters.
“Every other candidate we tested was beat by Donald Trump among Texas independents. [But] Sanders, was ahead of Trump by three points amongst this group,” Blank says.
The poll also surveyed Texans’ attitude towards Gov. Greg Abbot, and about different policy issues. A full summary of the results can be found at Texas Lyceum.
Written by Morgan Kuehler.
