Buttigieg edged Biden as candidate most likely to beat Trump, Iowa entrance polls show

Ever since he got into the Democratic presidential race, former Vice President Joe Biden's calling card has been his purported ability to defeat President Trump in the general election. He's even said he's not sure he would've run if there was a different Republican incumbent.

Normally, Biden does poll strongly when it comes to electability, but in the entrance polls before Monday night's Iowa caucus, he didn't stand out in that category. Defeating Trump was indeed a priority for a majority of voters, with 61 percent of Democratic caucus-goers saying they prefer a candidate who can win compared to 37 percent who were focused on the issues. Biden didn't do poorly among voters focused on the general election, but former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg actually edged the former vice president, 24 percent to 23 percent, in that category.

Still, it was a better performance for Biden than his showing among voters in the issues camp. There, he received just 5 percent support, getting trounced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Buttigieg, while also falling behind Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Read more on entrance polls at ABC News and The Washington Post.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up