A new Florida poll shows Joe Biden with an overwhelming lead in Florida’s Democratic primary, with 66 percent of likely voters marking the former vice-president as their chosen candidate.
According to the University of North Florida poll, which was released on Thursday, Sanders only picked up about 20 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, while Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who is still technically in the race, received a mere 1 percent of the vote.
“This is down to a two-man race and Biden is looking toward a blowout in Florida,” Michael Binder, Ph.D., the director of the university’s Public Opinion Research Lab, said in the press release. “Florida’s polling numbers combined with Biden’s strong showing this past week in the primaries paints a bleak picture for the Sanders campaign. He is facing a do-or-die debate on Sunday if he hopes to swing the momentum.”
Biden is currently leading Sanders in delegates, and, with Florida having 219 more up for grabs on March 17, the decision voters make there could go a long way toward sealing Biden’s newfound dominance.
The poll noted that there is a generational divide, with younger voters ages 18 to 24 mostly supporting Sanders, who received about 77 percent of the vote. Biden on the other hand, racked up about 78 percent of the vote with the 65 and over crowd.
But Biden also picked up more of the Black vote (68 percent), while Sanders was left in the dust with only 18 percent of Black voters noting him as their pick.
“Sanders does have a lot of support among young people; however, there are just not enough voters in that demographic to propel him to a victory in Florida,” Binder noted.