RENO, Nevada — A new poll shows Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) surging to a double-digit lead over his rivals nationwide — and billionaire Mike Bloomberg qualifying for Wednesday’s Democrat debate.
The National Public Radio/Marist/PBS Newshour poll, released early Tuesday morning, shows Sanders with 31%, far ahead of Bloomberg, who is in second place with 19%. The poll was conducted Feb. 13-16 — i.e. after the New Hampshire primary — on land lines and mobile phones among a sample of 527 “Democrats and Democratic leaning independents” registered to vote, with a 5.4% margin of error.
The poll shows that Sanders is clearly the frontrunner — and it is also the fourth qualifying national poll to show Bloomberg at or above 10%, meaning that he will qualify for Wednesday’s debate in Las Vegas ahead of the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday night, though he is not on the ballot in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses. Fellow billionaire Tom Steyer, who is at 2% in seventh place in the poll, has met the polling threshold required by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), but not yet in “qualifying” polls.
Tiny Pacific nation to take up to 75 deportees as Trump administration accelerates mass removals
Misspelled learning center, no children inside: Emmer presses Walz over Minnesota daycare tied to $4M
Interior Department plans AI Theodore Roosevelt exhibit for America250
New motion seeks former Colorado Clerk Tina Peters’ release, challenging state after Trump’s pardon
Indicted Democrat edits $109,000 ring allegedly bought with stolen FEMA funds from photo
Times Square ball goes red, white and blue for America’s 250th birthday
Trump weapons package to Taiwan sparks flurry of Chinese sanctions
Definition of Insanity: Repeat Offender Reportedly Tied to 3 Separate Shootings Was Freed After SWAT Standoff
Op-Ed: I’ll Believe it When I See it – How Liberal Santa Scams the Nation
CNN’s Dana Bash Forced to Admit Trump’s Border Policy Is ‘Story of Accomplishment’
Minnesota Senate candidate wears hijab in visit to Somali market as fraud scandal unfolds
As UK Locks Up Citizens for Speech, Jimmy Kimmel Shares Christmas Message with Them About Trump’s So-Called ‘Fascism’
Brown, MIT shootings may have stemmed from suspect’s failures, fixation on scientist’s success: report
Politico Squeaks in to Win Absolute Dumbest ‘News’ Story of 2025 – Says the Right Is Turning Christmas Into a ‘Christian Civilization’ Holiday
Most radical courses, curriculum that received federal funding in 2025
After Sanders with 31%, and Bloomberg with 19%, come former Vice President Joe Biden in third, with 15%; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in fourth, with 12%; Sen. Amy Klobuchar in fifth, with 9%; and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in sisxth, with 8%. Buttigieg currently leads in terms of delegates after finishing second in total votes in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
The debate will be held Wednesday evening from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT) at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas, hosted by MSNBC. Six candidates have qualified thus far.
Story cited here.
