Bernie Sanders draws even in Iowa, but Joe Biden still seen as safer choice, poll shows

The campaign team for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was likely pleased with the latest CBS News surveys released Sunday, which have the Democratic presidential candidate moving to the front of the pack in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In the poll, Sanders is locked in a dead heat in Iowa at 23 percent with former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, while the Vermont senator holds a two point lead over Biden in New Hampshire.

Part of the reason Sanders has risen to the top is because of enthusiasm — in Iowa, 67 percent of Sanders' voters feel good about their choice, compared to just 49 percent who are going with Biden for now. But the former vice president still has a good shot to remain the top vote-getter in Iowa because 53 percent of voters think he's the "safest" choice. Only 20 percent, on the other hand, think Sanders isn't risky.

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The CBS News surveys were conducted by YouGov between Dec. 27, 2019, and and Jan. 3, 2020. The polls consisted of 953 and 519 self-identified Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively. The margin of error was 3.8 percentage points in Iowa and 5.3 percentage points in New Hampshire.