A new Bloomberg poll shows a Democratic nomination fight "looking like a three-way contest," MSNBC reported Wednesday, with Hillary Clinton getting just 33 percent support and Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) close behind with 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively.
"The Democratic race just got a lot more interesting," Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough said.
Biden has not announced whether or not he will seek the nomination but is publicly mulling a run. The emerging view that he is seen as a solid alternative to Clinton by party loyalists manifested itself further Tuesday with the news that two major unions are delaying their endorsement until Biden decides what to do.
Bloomberg reports:
The latest Bloomberg survey shows the vice president at par with Sanders in terms of Democratic support nationally. Adding to the good news for the vice president: His favorability ratings are on the rise. Since the last Bloomberg poll in April, Clinton's favorability ratings have dropped 10 points, from 48 percent to 38 percent. Biden's 49 percent favorable score represents a 3-point uptick. He was the only one of a dozen national political figures and entities whose approval rating improved over the summer.
"He's been a very good, positive influence on the Obama administration," said Karen Hood, a 63-year-old consulting engineer from Houston, Texas, who said that Biden is her first choice. "I think he would help carry on what President Obama has started."
Clinton has been holding onto first place thanks to the the support of women Democrats who are registered voters, said J. Ann Selzer, whose firm conducted the poll. Among women, Clinton gets 35 percent support compared to 31 percent among men. Sanders, meanwhile, enjoys a reverse gender gap: 30 percent of men support him, compared to 20 percent of women. Among male Democrats, Clinton edges Sanders by a single point, 31 percent to his 30 percent. Biden, who has worked hard to win women's support by emphasizing his work on issues such as the Violence Against Women Act, draws support about equally from both genders.
Panelist Mike Barnicle said he was "stunned at those numbers," adding he was told the Clinton campaign was making a concerted effort to keep Biden from entering and disrupting the race.
"I know we can't see into Joe Biden's heart, but how can he not look at some of these polls and say, 'I can win this race?'" co-host Willie Geist said.