Elizabeth Warren’s polling numbers continue to surge among African Americans, an important demographic in the race for the Democratic nomination, according to the most recent Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday.
The poll indicated Warren is up by five points among black voters since August, a shift confirmed by the latest Quinnipiac national poll, which showed the Massachusetts senator winning 19 percent of the African-American vote — a nine-point jump over earlier polling.
In the RealClear Politics national polling average, Warren has cut former Vice President Joe Biden’s overall lead to a mere 1.7 percent.
“It’s certainly a dramatic shift that had to be noticed by the Biden campaign — and also Sanders, Harris and Buttigieg,” Tim Malloy, Quinnipiac’s polling analyst, told Politico. “Other [candidates] aren’t moving. And if they are, it’s in the wrong direction.”
While Joe Biden still maintains a strong lead among African American voters, polling steady at around 40 percent, Warren’s increased efforts on the campaign trail to reach black voters have helped. Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, told Politico that the gradual broadening of Warren’s base has played a significant role in her rise.
“If you’re African-American, Warren may not have been someone you knew very well,” Murray said. “You knew Joe Biden, sure, but now you’re paying more attention.”
Warren’s next challenge is performing well in South Carolina, the fourth state on the primary trail, where more than 60 percent of primary voters are African American. While a recent CNN poll put her at only 4 percent of the black vote in South Carolina, compared to Biden’s 45, Warren has not dedicated significant time and resources to the state; she is ranked 12th overall among the Democratic pool in attending South Carolina events, with only 13 public appearances so far, per the Charleston Post and Courier.