Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders' polling numbers have barely moved in the past year

Candidates have come and gone, but Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are forever.
In the ongoing 2020 Democratic presidential primary, RealClearPolitics puts the former vice president's polling average at 27.8 percent as of its last update on Dec. 19. Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont, gets 19.3 percent, giving the two candidates almost exactly the same polling averages they had a year ago.
Yes, on Dec. 19, 2018, Biden had an average of 27.5 percent support for winning the 2020 nomination, while Sanders had 19 percent. It didn't matter that neither candidate had entered the presidential race yet, or that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was pretty much the only major candidate who had. Biden and Sanders have both seen spikes and drops in the year since, but with 2020 less than a week away, things are not really different than they were a year ago.
Subscribe to 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.
Those unchanging numbers come despite Warren's rise from 5 percent support a year ago to 15.2 percent support as of Dec. 19, and even though she briefly hit a level of polling nearly double Sanders' average back in October. Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke both entered and exited the race without changing the top of the polls, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, despite his unexpected rise, failed to make it to the top spots either.
Anything could happen in 2020, but at this point ahead of the 2016 election, President Trump was the clear favorite.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Lather up with these 8 eco-friendly shampoo bars
The Week Recommends Help your hair and the planet
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Trump's Ukraine about-face puts GOP hawks in the hot seat
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's pro-Russia pivot has alienated allies, emboldened adversaries, and placed members of his party in an uncomfortable position
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Is method acting falling out of fashion?
Talking Points The divisive technique has its detractors, though it has also wrought quite a few Oscar-winning performances
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Trump seeks to end New York's congestion pricing
Speed Read The MTA quickly filed a lawsuit to stop the move
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top US prosecutors resign rather than drop Adams case
speed read The interim US attorney for the Southern District and five senior Justice Department officials quit following an order to drop the charges against Mayor Eric Adams
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms Gabbard as intelligence chief
Speed Read The controversial former Democratic lawmaker, now Trump loyalist, was sworn in as director of national intelligence
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published