Ahead of caucus day, poll shows a tight race for Democrats

Democrats around the state rallying ahead of 2020's first-in-nation caucuses. [Photo courtesy Iowa Democratic Party]

A recent poll of likely Iowa caucus voters shows a close five-way race for the Democratic presidential nomination in the Feb. 3 first-in-the-nation primary challenge. The poll also suggests the voters generally like all the leading candidates.

The survey late last week was done by David Binder Research. Its founder, pollster David Binder, said they found a close race between five candidates, led by Joe Biden with 24 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, with 18 percent.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren answered audience questions at a town hall meeting at Muscatine West Middle School on Jan. 25. [Jim Elias photo]
Mayor Pete Buttigieg was polling at 16 percent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) at 14 percent, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) at 11 percent.

Commissioned by the group Focus on Rural America, the poll found all five of the top candidates have high favorability ratings — but Klobuchar pulled ahead as the candidate more people thought would best meet the needs of rural Iowa.

entrepreneur Andrew Yang hosted a town hall meeting Jan. 23 at Muscatine Community College. [Jim Elias photo]
According to Binder, by and large the folks they spoke with said they like all the leading candidates. He noted that means the level of support for any of them could change before the vote, or even during the caucuses.

Iowans also said they prefer a candidate who makes it a priority to engage residents of rural Iowa over a candidate who makes it a priority to increase turnout in Iowa’s larger cities and towns.

The Muscatine Democratic caucuses will be held on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. sharp. Anyone who is a registered Democrat in Iowa can participate.

In Muscatine County, there are 23 precinct sites for the Democratic Party caucuses, including:
• Bloomington – Muscatine School Administration Building
• Fruitland One-City – Fruitland City Hall, Large Room
• Fruitland Two/Lake-Fruitland – Discovery Park Conference/Learning Center
• Fulton/Montpelier-City – Stockton City Hall
• Goshen-City — Atalissa City Hall
• Muscatine 1st – Mulberry Elementary School
• Muscatine 2nd – West Middle School
• Muscatine 3rd – Central Middle School gym
• Muscatine 4th – Musser Public Library
• Muscatine 5th – Central Middle School Library — UPDATED LOCATION
• Muscatine 6th – Grant Elementary School gym
• Muscatine 7th – Franlin Elementary School gym
• Muscatine 8th – McKinley Elementary School gym
• Muscatine 9th – Little Roach Theater
• Muscatine 10th – Madison Elementary School
• Orono-City – Conesville City Hall
• Pike-City – Nichols City Hall
• Seventy-Six/Cedar-Seventy – 76 Township Hall
• Sweetland – Colorado Elementary School gym
• West Liberty 2 – West Liberty Community Center A
• West Liberty/Wapsie-WL1 C – West Liberty Community Center B
• Wilton City – Wilton Junior-Senior High School cafeteria
• Wilton/Moscow-Wilton – Wilton Junior-Senior High School library

The Muscatine Republican Caucus will be held Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. at Muscatine High School.
Business of the evening will include selection of the nominee for president, election of officers for county convention, central committee appointments, and county platform plank submissions.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with proceedings beginning promptly at 7 p.m. regardless of the weather.
On site voter registration and party registration will be available on site.

— Iowa Public News Service contributed to this story.

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