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Senator Bernie Sanders narrowly passed his progressive 2020 rival Senator Elizabeth Warren by two points in her home state of Massachusetts in a new poll released days before Super Tuesday.
The Suffolk University/Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll, released Saturday, shows 24 percent of respondents either planning on or likely to vote for Sanders, compared to 22 percent for Warren. Although Sanders leads Warren by 2 percentage points, they are in a statistical tie as the difference is less than the poll's 4.4-point margin of error.
Nearly all the remaining 2020 candidates were shown to be in a statistical tie for third place. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Vice President Joe Biden all came one percent after the other, with 13 percent, 12 percent and 11 percent respectively.
The poll surveyed 500 likely voters in the state from between Wednesday to Saturday through landlines and cellphones.
Newsweek reached out to Sanders and Warren's campaign for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Another Massachusetts poll from last week showed Sanders ahead of Warren in Massachusetts by a larger margin. The recent WBUR poll showed 25 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in support of Sanders, while Warren came in second with 17 percent. Their difference in this poll, which surveyed 426 likely voters between February 23-26, is greater than its margin of error of 4.9 percentage points and is evidence of the uncertainty of a Warren win in her home state.
After facing disappointing results in Iowa and New Hampshire, critics have called on Warren to drop out if she loses in her home state, while supporters have urged her to keep going.
"It comes down to not who is winning how many states, but how many delegates you are getting in each state," Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, a supporter of Warren, told the Globe. "There's not a must-win state for anyone."
Warren is aware a loss in Massachusetts would damage her campaign's efforts to regain momentum and has been working hard in her home state to sway voters. Warren supporter, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, launched a canvassing effort in Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston earlier this week and has indicated his confidence in Warren's ability to win the state.
"I think you've got a long time [to go]," Kennedy told WBUR. "March 3rd is an eternity. I believe in her. I think the people here believe in her. I expect she's going to have a great day here, and I think she's going to have a great day across the country."
Meanwhile, a recent UMass Lowell poll showed Sanders with a chance in Massachusetts. The Vermont senator has attempted to seize on the opportunity to gain over Warren in her home field. He has held rallies in Boston and Springfield over the past few days ahead of Super Tuesday.
