Biden, Despite Troubles, Tops Democratic Contenders in Poll of Iowa Voters

The poll, which was conducted by Monmouth University, had Biden garnering the support of 27% of Democratic voters who are likely to attend the Iowa caucuses in February. It also showed that he is the best-liked person among the field of presidential contenders by a comfortable margin, with a favorability rating of 78%, compared with 14% who viewed him unfavorably. (Though Biden’s advisers have signaled that he intends to run for president, he has yet to announce his candidacy.)

He did especially well among voters age 65 and older, drawing 44% of their support.

The poll numbers were less encouraging for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the front-runner among the announced candidates. Sixteen percent of respondents said they would support or lean toward him as their first choice. Twenty-five percent of voters had called him their first choice in a March poll conducted by the Des Moines Register and CNN.

The Monmouth poll also found that about half of the Iowa Democrats surveyed ranked health care as the top policy priority, followed by environmental concerns.

The poll of 351 Iowa Democrats had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5.2 percentage points. The poll was conducted April 4-9, several days after the first complaints from women about Biden.

The former vice president’s decadeslong habit of hugging, touching and kissing people has become a subject of scrutiny in recent weeks after several women came forward saying his physicality made them uncomfortable. Still, support for Biden remained about the same as a month ago, when The Des Moines Register poll showed Biden as the top choice for 27% of respondents.

During that period, support for Buttigieg appears to have risen. The Monmouth poll showed 9% of likely Iowa caucusgoers support him; in the March Register poll, only 1% of voters labeled him as their first choice for president.

After Biden, Sanders and Buttigieg came Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who were each the top choice for 7% of respondents. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas drew the support of 6%.

Other candidates, such as Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey, polled lower.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.