Poll: Biden Is Top Choice for Climate-Minded Voters

(CN) – Voters trust 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden more than any other candidate to tackle the issue of climate change according to a Morning Consult/Sierra Club poll released Monday.

The poll was limited to voters who ranked climate change as one of the most important campaign issues in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

Biden garnered 37% of the respondents’ support, with Bernie Sanders coming in second with 19%. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg rounded out the top four with 15% and 8%, respectively, though Warren came out on top when voters were asked to name who they would like to see elected if their first choice dropped out.

The poll tracked closely to overall polling numbers in the early stages of the Democratic nomination process, as Biden continues to lead and Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg joining him at the top of the field.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, who has made climate change the primary focus of his entire presidential campaign, only received 1 percent of votes.

Better news for Inslee came in how those polled responded to whether the Democratic National Committee should host a debate focused on climate change, which Inslee has demanded. A whopping  85% agreed with the governor and said the DNC should host such a debate, though to date the party has repeatedly said it will not host any single-issue debates.

Several of the candidates have unveiled their plans to tackle climate change, including Inslee and Beto O’Rourke, who polled at 4% in the poll.

Biden unveiled a plan this month to spend $5 trillion – including $1.7 million federal dollars – to combat climate change through a multi-faceted approach that includes transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

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