ECU poll says Biden still leads in South Carolina ahead of primary

Dr. Peter Francia, director of ECU’s Center for Survey Research
(Photo by Rhett Butler)

During the month of February, the Center for Survey Research at East Carolina University has conducted three polls of voters in South Carolina leading up to the state’s Democratic primary Feb. 29.

The latest poll, which surveyed South Carolina residents Feb. 23-24 show former Vice President Joe Biden ahead by 8%. His lead remains the same as a previous ECU poll conducted immediately after the New Hampshire primary but is down significantly from the 18-point lead Biden had in a poll before the Iowa caucus.

ECU CSR Director Dr. Peter Francia told Newsweek in a February Feb. 26 article, “Joe Biden is still the frontrunner as we head into the final stretch. He built a big lead early on, primarily among African American voters, especially older African American voters.”

The latest numbers show Biden with support from 31% of likely voters in South Carolina with Bernie Sanders (23%) following in second and Tom Steyer (20%) in third.

The polls conducted by ECU’s CSR have been featured in several national media outlets in addition to Newsweek including USA Today, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal.

The first ECU CSR poll, released on Feb. 6 just days before the Iowa caucus, showed Biden leading all Democratic candidates in South Carolina with Tom Steyer and Bernie Sanders trailing. Immediately after the New Hampshire primary, Biden remained in the lead but dropped by 9% and Sanders, who gained six percentage points, overtook Steyer for the second spot.