POLL: Warren wallops Sanders among Dem. college students

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has jumped ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders when it comes to support among American college students who identify as Democrat or Democrat-leaning, a key voting bloc that previously favored Sanders.

The College Pulse has been surveying college students weekly to track where students stand on the 2020 Democratic primary. Sanders has been the favorite candidate among college students since surveying began in March. But in October, Warren jumped ahead of the Vermont senator, with 32 percent of college students saying they favor the Massachusetts Democrat. 

Meanwhile, 27 percent of students say they would vote for Sanders over other Democrat candidates, as of Oct. 15.

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When polling began in March, just six percent of students picked Warren as their favorite Democrat candidate, putting the senator well below not just Sanders, but also former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke.  

Since then, support for Warren among self-identified Democrat and Democrat-leaning college students has increased steadily, while support for Sanders has dropped by six percent. 

This polling comes as a new Tufts University study shows that the number of college students who voted doubled between 2014 and 2018. 

The results follow Sanders’ recent heart attack just before the latest Democrat debate in Ohio, where, when asked about his personal health, Sanders responded, “I’m healthy. I’m feeling great” according to a debate transcript published by The Washington Post. 

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Sanders then went on to allude to a campaign event in New York City, where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed the Vermont senator.

In the latest debate, both Sanders and Warren, who both support Medicare for all and free college for all, were pressed by Democrat moderates such as Vice President Joe Biden on how they would pay for such expensive government programs, which experts say would cost trillions. 

Facing criticism over the lack of details when it comes to how she would finance Medicare for all, Warren announced in Iowa on Sunday that “in the coming weeks,” she will release a plan that shows how she would finance such as program, The New York Times reported. 

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