Sanders Leads Biden By 7 Points Going Into Iowa Caucus

With voters in Iowa set to be the first in the country to caucus for the Democratic Party, all eyes are on the Hawkeye State. If last-minute surveys are any indication, things are looking very good for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who appears to be continuing his surge in the state.

Final polling released by Emerson College / 7 News Iowa shows Sanders with an appreciable 7 point lead, claiming 28 percent support. Behind him is former Vice President Joe Biden with 21 percent, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 15 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is close behind with 14 percent.

Even taking into account the poll’s 3.3 percent margin of error, Sanders would still claim the front position.

Although this poll might appear to make Sanders’ victory in Iowa seem all but certain, a large number of those surveyed – roughly one-in-three – said they were still open to shifting their support to a different candidate. This may well be the most important figure to come from this polling data, as it demonstrates two things.

First, it indicates that a surprise victor in Iowa could easily emerge at the last minute. Second, and perhaps just as importantly, it illustrates how the field’s many Democratic candidates have struggled to secure firm support from voters – meaning these first few states could have an especially strong influence on the outcomes in states to follow.

That said, the poll found that Sanders had the most loyal support base in Iowa, with three-quarters of his backers having replied that they definitely intend to vote for the Vermont senator.

Almost a week after Iowa, New Hampshire will be the first state to primary for the Democratic Party on Feb. 11 . There, Sanders is also polling extremely well, with aggregate polling website RealClearPolitics placing him, on average, nearly 9 points ahead of Biden.

If Sanders manages to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, it’s likely to further propel his campaign’s already growing momentum and could well influence the rest of the union to follow suit.