Iowa Caucuses 2020: Most caucusgoers prefer nominee who can beat Trump
Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren appear to be leading with Iowa caucusgoers as per early entrance polls.
According to entrance polls conducted Monday, February 4, around a quarter of Democratic caucusgoers decided who to back in the last couple of days or today. More than half of Democratic caucusgoers had already made up their minds before January, while less than one in five decided who to support in January.
According to CNN, around two-thirds had previously attended an Iowa caucus and about a third of them were first-timers. This is less than in 2016, when there were at least 44% first-time caucusgoers, as well as in 2008, which saw 55% first-timers. Having said that, two-thirds of caucusgoers prefer a nominee who can beat President Donald Trump rather than someone who agrees with them on policies and issues, as per CNN.
Healthcare mattered the most for two in five Iowa caucusgoers while deciding who to support. Meanwhile, over half of caucusgoers reportedly support replacing private insurance with a government plan while two in five oppose. The report also stated how climate change was the most important issue for about a quarter of caucusgoers, followed by foreign policy and income inequality.
The Iowa caucuses present the first chance for potential voters to weigh in on the 2020 race to the White House. The Democratic entrance poll gives an idea about the strength and support a presidential candidate has at the start of the caucus process, which closely affects the first round of voting. This does not, by any means, reflect the final caucus result, which is used to calculate the state delegate equivalents a candidate is projected to win.
Since 1976, the top finisher in the Iowa Democratic caucuses has won the party nomination in seven of the nine contested races. The entrance polls were conducted among Iowa caucusgoers as soon as they entered precincts on Monday night. The National Exit Poll is conducted by Edison Research, a consortium of news organizations.