Biden named as candidate with worst performance at the 4th Democratic debate in Quinnipiac poll


Voters don't appear massively impressed by former Vice President Joe Biden's latest debate performance.
Democratic voters in a new Quinnipiac survey named Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as the candidate who turned in the best performance in the Oct. 15 primary debate, with 26 percent picking her. She's followed by South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who 17 percent of voters said won the debate. Biden came in third place, with 12 percent of voters saying his performance was the best.
But when voters were specifically asked who had the worst debate performance, Biden got the most mentions, with 15 percent of voters picking him, a higher percentage than said he had the best performance. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) followed Biden with 11 percent of voters saying her performance was the worst of the candidates. Four percent of voters named Warren as having the worst performance, and two percent named Sanders, while another 41 percent weren't sure.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This poll also shows the percentage of voters naming Biden as the candidate most likely to beat President Trump in 2020 is declining. He still easily leads on that front, with 42 percent of voters saying he has the best chance of defeating the president, compared to 20 percent who say the same about Warren. But this is down from 56 percent who said Biden is the best candidate to beat Trump in April.
Quinnipiac's poll was conducted by speaking to 713 registered Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters from Oct. 17-21. The margin of error is 4.6 percentage points. Read the full results at Quinnipiac.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act