At the largest conservative gathering of the year, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) topped a poll asking who is the most dangerous possible opponent for President Trump in November.
On the Conservative Political Action Conference’s final day, CPAC and The Washington Times conducted a poll of the active conservatives in attendance. A little more than a third of those who filled out surveys said they’re most worried about Sanders, a Democratic socialist who is pushing free everything for everybody. Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was the second most feared opponent at 23%. Former Vice President Joe Biden came in a distant third at 9%.
Nearly a fifth (19%) said they’re not afraid of any of the candidates. The poll was completed by 1,336 activists at CPAC, held just outside of Washington, D.C.
Biden won big among Democrats on Saturday, taking 48% of the vote in South Carolina’s primary. Sanders lagged well behind in second, pulling in just 19.9%. Billionaire Tom Steyer came in third with 11.3%, then promptly dropped out. Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg came in fourth at 8.4%, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), once a front runner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, finished fifth at just 7.1%.
Biden’s win keeps his campaign afloat after dismal performances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
“We are very much alive,” Biden declared at a post-election rally. “For all of you who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind — this is your campaign.”
The race now expands exponentially for Super Tuesday on March 3, when 14 states will hold primaries. About a third of the delegates available in the nomination race will be up for grabs. But in an interesting twist, the odds that no candidate gathers the needed number of delegates by the Democratic National Convention rose to 3 in 5, and now tops the nomination forecast from FiveThirtyEight.com.
In that forecast, Sanders has a 3 in 10 chance, Biden a 1 in 9 chance, and all the rest are less than 1 in 100 long shots.
For the first time in a Democratic nomination process, a substantial number of pledged delegates will be at stake — 1,357 of them. But because the delegates will be allocated in proportion to each candidate’s share of the vote, the odds that no candidate wins a majority is rising, and that means a nominee will be selected during the Democratic National Committee convention in July.
The CPAC poll found some other interesting tidbits, The Washington Times reported.
Activists ranked solving immigration and building the border wall as their top priority, followed by protecting constitutional rights and tackling spending.
When asked which immigration policy is most important, a staggering 68% said building the wall and securing the border. Arresting illegal immigrants trailed far behind in second place at just 17%, and just 11% said expanding legal immigration was key. Another 3% said the priority should be to legalize illegal immigrant “Dreamers.”
But the activists say immigration is only the second biggest threat to America’s safety. The top spot went to the rising economic power of China.
The poll asked activists what constitutional amendment they would like to see added. A balanced budget was the clear winner at 45%, followed by overturning the Roe v. Wade decision that established a national right to abortion, which garnered 32% support.