Former Vice President Joe Biden was nowhere to be found in New Hampshire Thursday as his polling in the state’s upcoming Tuesday primary is declining.
Biden spent the day Thursday with his advisors at his Delaware home, The Washington Post reported. His support in New Hampshire fell nearly 5% since Wednesday, according to Real Clear Politics data, when additional results from the controversial Iowa caucus were released. The Iowa results had Biden in fourth place.
Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who won the most delegates in the Iowa caucus, has seen a more than 8% jump in support in New Hampshire since Wednesday. Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading the polls in New Hampshire by nearly 5% after winning slightly fewer delegates than Buttigieg in Iowa despite winning the popular vote in the state. Biden is tied in third place with Sen. Elizabeth Warren in New Hampshire. (RELATED: ‘How Did His Team Perform So Badly?’ Joe Scarborough Rips Into Joe Biden’s Ground Game)
Biden has centered his campaign around his claim that he is the most likely of the Democratic nominees to defeat Trump in November. His early struggles in primary voting come as a surprise to many, as he had led nearly every national primary poll prior to this week. Experts are attributing his decline to the recent success of Buttigieg and even Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who similar to Biden, brand themselves as more moderate candidates in the Democratic field.
NEW HAMPSHIRE DEM PRIMARY POLL: #2020Dem #FITN:
24% @BernieSanders ⬆6 pts since Jan.
20% @PeteButtigieg no change
17% @JoeBiden ⬇2 pts
13% @EWarren⬇2 pts
9% @AmyKlobuchar⬆3 pts
4% @TulsiGabbard nc
4% @AndrewYang ⬆1 pt
3% @TomSteyer ⬇1 pthttps://t.co/muyXuTxNJJ pic.twitter.com/RbujFfzFwn— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) February 6, 2020
Following New Hampshire’s primary Tuesday, Nevada will be the next state to hold a primary on Feb. 22. Biden is holding a lead in the Silver State despite falling 4% in the latest polling data. South Carolina holds its primary the following week, with Biden holding a significant lead. (RELATED: GOP Senators Waste No Time Investigating Hunter Biden After Impeachment Acquittal)
Biden reportedly canceled $150,000 in television ads in South Carolina, shifting the money to campaign spending in Nevada.
ABC News is hosting a Democratic debate Friday night starting at 8 p.m. EST that features seven of the 11 presidential candidates.