Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead in the race for the Democratic nomination, a new poll has found.
According to a
Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted July 16-19 of 1,002 adults, Clinton has 68 percent support among the five declared candidates. Her lead drops slightly with the inclusion of Vice President Joe Biden, who has not said whether he will run.
With Biden included, the Democratic field after Clinton shows:
- Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders – 14 percent
- Vice President Joe Biden – 12 percent
- Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb – 2 percent
- Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley – 1 percent
- Former Rhode Island Gov. and Sen. Lincoln Chafee – 0 percent
The poll also found that Clinton is more popular among women than men by a margin of almost 20 points. And roughly 90 percent of her supporters say they are enthusiastic about her candidacy.
According to the survey, Clinton enjoys ideological approval with nearly 7 in 10 voters saying she is "about right" in her positions.
Just 40 percent say the same about Sanders, but that may also reflect a lack of knowledge about his positions given that nearly as many say they do not know enough about hit to form an opinion, according to the Post.
Liberal Democrats are the most likely to say they support Sanders compared to those who identify as moderate or conservative, the poll found.