Bernie Sanders takes wide lead in California primary, new poll finds [View all]

[left-of-center2012]

Bernie Sanders has opened a wide lead in California’s Democratic presidential primary, and four rivals are virtually tied for a distant second place, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The survey by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found Sanders favored by 32% of likely voters in the March 3 primary, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden, 14%, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 13%, and two former mayors, Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., both at 12%.

The findings were particularly grim for Biden and Warren; each dropped by 10 percentage points from their standings in the institute’s poll in January. Sanders has been especially successful at consolidating support among Latinos and voters under 45 years old; a majority of both groups favored the Vermont senator, the poll found.

California is the biggest of 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday. At stake in California are 415 delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer in Milwaukee. It takes 1,991 delegates to win the party’s presidential nomination.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-02-18/california-poll-democratic-presidential-primary-ppic