The most popular of all the Democratic presidential candidates, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, is Elizabeth Warren. She leads among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.
The poll finds that 75% of respondents have a favorable opinion of Warren, compared to 71% for Joe Biden, 66% for Bernie Sanders, and 56% for Kamala Harris. On the flip side, 11% have an unfavorable opinion of Warren, 17% unfavorably view Harris, 22% Biden, and 27% Sanders. But among all registered voters, Biden comes out with the highest favorables at 45%. The bad news for Biden is that he has a 46% unfavorable rating, putting him underwater. At least in this poll. Warren is also narrowly underwater—41-42—while Sanders (38-55) and Harris (31-42) are in deeper.
This follows polling showing that any of the now-leading contenders would beat Trump if the vote were held now. Both polls undermine the "electability" argument and its inherent sexism. A woman—Warren or Harris, in these polls—is more than acceptable to primary voters and Democratic-leaning independents. We don't have to be afraid of supporting and nominating a woman. We have to worry about having a nominee compelling enough to turn out all Democratic voters.