Joe Biden is the top choice of nearly a third of Iowa Democrats likely to participate in the 2020 presidential caucuses — putting the former vice president atop a roughly 20-candidate field 14 months ahead of the first votes.
The first Des Moines Register poll before the 2020 caucuses shows Biden beginning a potential bid at 32 percent in Iowa, more than a dozen points ahead of the second-place candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The 2016 runner-up for the nomination is at 19 percent.
Outgoing Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who lost a Senate race last month, is in third place, at 11 percent.
That is a remarkable showing for someone with very little national name recognition.
Slightly behind O’Rourke are Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 8 percent, and California Sen. Kamala Harris at 5 percent.
All other candidates are below 5 percent support.
Only 6 percent of poll respondents said they weren’t sure whom they would support after being read a list of 20 names.
Iowa is the first state in the presidential nominating process.
The winner of the caucuses has gone on to win the Democratic presidential nomination in six consecutive election cycles.
Aside from the three leading candidates, the top candidates are New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (4 percent), former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (3 percent) and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (3 percent). Another four candidates are at only 1 percent, including Maryland Rep. John Delaney, a declared candidate who has already visited all of the Iowa’s 99 counties, according to his campaign.
Potential candidates who failed to register any support at all include wealthy businessman Tom Steyer, who has run ads in the state to tout his drive to impeach Trump.
The Iowa poll has been conducted by the Des Moines Register since 1943.