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Politics & Policy
Be Skeptical of Biden’s Sudden Surge
It’s true that the former vice president is polling well. But the 2020 race is still wide open.
Long way to go.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Joe Biden is now a week out from formally announcing his presidential candidacy. A lot of pundits seem to think he has at the very least nailed down a clear lead and ensured himself a finalist slot for the Democratic nomination. I’m not so sure.
On the plus side, Biden surged in three post-announcement national polls, hitting in the high 30s in each of them after having averaged right around 30 percent in earlier surveys. That’s nowhere near Hillary Clinton’s strength in 2016, but it’s not bad. Biden also jumped right to the top in endorsements, as measured by the FiveThirtyEight tracker.
