Bernie Sanders' campaign is in 'major, major trouble,' polling expert says

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is looking at an increasingly difficult path to the 2020 Democratic nomination, one polling expert says.

CNN analyst Harry Enten broke down Sanders' latest polling numbers and concluded that although former Vice President Joe Biden has been notably taking a hit in support following the first round of Democratic debates, actually, "Sanders' polling looks far worse."

For one, there's Sanders coming in at 14 percent behind Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in CNN's new national poll, as well as him polling at 13 percent in the newest poll from Quinnipiac. Enten compares these numbers to that of past presidential candidates, and the result isn't great for Sanders.

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"I went back and looked at where 13 previous runner-ups since 1972 have been polling at this point in the primary," Enten writes. "All six who went on to win the nomination were polling above Sanders' 14 percent. Indeed, we can widen it out and see how perilous Sanders' position is. Among all well-known candidates, only 9 percent polling at between 10 percent and 20 percent at this point went onto win the nomination."

Enten goes on to point out that Sanders isn't polling particularly well in Iowa, either. "We've obviously got a long way to go, but Sanders 2020 looks to be in major, major trouble," he concludes.

A newer poll released by ABC on Wednesday looks better for Sanders, as he's polling six points behind Biden at 23 percent. But the poll suggests that those who watched the debates felt Biden, Harris, and Warren stood out more than Sanders, with Sanders actually polling 10 points higher among those who didn't watch the debate than those who did.