The post-debate Democratic field has been officially upended according to an Iowa poll released Tuesday by Suffolk University/USA Today showing that Sen. Kamala Harris of California jumped into second place at 16% behind Vice President Joe Biden at 24%. But both Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lost ground compared with a poll released by the same outfit just two weeks ago, while Harris and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren simultaneously gained ground.
Specifically, Biden dropped from 30%-24%, Sanders dropped from 15%-9%, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg also dropped from 9%-6%. Harris doubled her share from 8%-16% and Warren increased from 10%-13%.
When Iowa voters were asked who did worse than expected in the debates last week, Biden drew the worst reviews at 41%, Sanders drew the second highest criticism at 23%, and former Congressman Beto O'Rourke got the third lowest marks at 16%.
Another poll released earlier last month from the Des Moines Register/CNN also put Biden in first place at 24% with Sanders (16%), Warren (15%) and Buttigieg (14%) all contending for second place. Harris came in fifth at 7%. So Harris's surge from the bottom of the top tier to second place is particularly notable given her starting point according to two separate polls last month.
Keep in mind that part of Biden’s strength in the Democratic field comes from support from African American voters. But Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus next year can help reset the field among all voters despite the fact that its electorate is disproportionately white. In 2008, Barack Obama’s convincing win in the Hawkeye State helped convince Democratic voters of color, particularly in South Carolina, that he could win the nomination, which he ultimately did.