Joe Biden's lead shrinks as he comes out 8 points in front of Bernie Sanders in Iowa just ahead of a Democratic cattle call

  • Former Vice President Joe Biden's huge lead lost steam in a Saturday night poll that only had him with 24 per cent support from likely Iowa caucus participants
  • In some previous polls Biden hit 40 per cent 
  • This puts his only 8 percentage points ahead of the consistently-ranked No. 2 candidate, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 
  • With 15 per cent support, the progressive Senator is only 1 per cent ahead of the candidates tied for third place, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg

As many Democratic candidates prepare to speak at an event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Sunday, a poll of the state shows that former Vice President Joe Biden's lead is shrinking. 

In the poll from Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom, which was published Saturday night, it was revealed that Biden carried 24 per cent support from likely Democratic caucus voters in Iowa, which is only 8 percentage points ahead of independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders, who is making his second consecutive run in the Democratic primary, usually holds a solid second place in national polls among Democratic voters.

In Iowa, however, he is sharing the second tier with two other candidates, fellow progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has won in almost every poll taken since he announced, and that was no different in Iowa this weekend where he holds 24 per cent support from likely Democratic caucus voters

Former Vice President Joe Biden has won in almost every poll taken since he announced, and that was no different in Iowa this weekend where he holds 24 per cent support from likely Democratic caucus voters

Only seven of the 24 candidates earned more than 1 per cent support from likely Democratic voters in Iowa

Only seven of the 24 candidates earned more than 1 per cent support from likely Democratic voters in Iowa

Progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders usually holds a solid second place behind Biden, several percentage points ahead of the third and fourth candidates. In Iowa, he is sharing the second tier stage with two other candidates

Progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders usually holds a solid second place behind Biden, several percentage points ahead of the third and fourth candidates. In Iowa, he is sharing the second tier stage with two other candidates

Both candidates hold 14 per cent support, only one per cent behind Sanders who earned 15 per cent in the poll. 

No other candidate reached double digits, but California Senator Kamala Harris came in fifth with 7 per cent. 

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke are at 2 per cent, and all other candidates received 1 per cent or less in support in the important caucus state. 

The poll was taken June 2-5 and polled 600 people likely to participate in the Democratic caucus. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Just a few months ago, Sanders and Biden's combined support from Democratic voters equalled over 50 per cent, but this poll has them with only 32 per cent. 

Biden poll supporters say they would vote for Sanders if Biden were out, and vice versa.    

Sanders, who is participating in the Democratic cattle call on Sunday, said hours before he is set to appear that he isn't worried about not polling as highly as he did during the 2016 campaign cycle when he was only competing against Hillary Clinton for the party's nomination.

This time, there are 24 Democrats running in the Democratic primary race, and 19 are participating in the multi-candidate event from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Sunday afternoon.

Senator Elizabeth Warren
Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (left) and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (right) hold 14 per cent support, while Sanders earned 15 per cent

'Four years ago there were only two of us in the race and we split the vote about 50 per cent each,' Sanders told CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning. 'This time we've got a whole lot of candidates, and I don't think anybody is going to reach 50 per cent.'

Even though he conceded that he wouldn't poll as well as the last election cycle, he did say he felt he would ultimately win the nomination and beat incumbent President Donald Trump.

'I think we have an excellent chance to win here,' Sanders said of the first caucus state of Iowa.

'We are going to win in New Hampshire,' which is the first primary election state, 'and I think we have a very strong chance of being the candidate who will defeat the worst president in the modern history of this country, Donald Trump.'

Buttigieg, who is openly gay, has had the largest increase in the polls, jumping by more than a dozen percentage points to safely and consistently secure him in the top five. 

He was polling at 1 per cent and has now reached 14 per cent support from Democrat voters.