Jonathon Berman, jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC - Voters who say that Democratic candidates’ climate plans are “very important” in their choice of who to vote for continue to call Joe Biden their top pick to be the Democratic nominee for President, according to the second wave of results from the Sierra Club’s 2020 Climate Voter Tracking Poll, conducted by Morning Consult. But Biden’s advantage has shrunk considerably, and he is currently receiving 30% of the support among climate voters, with Elizabeth Warren coming in second with 20%, and Bernie Sanders third with 16%.
This second round of the tracking poll also took a deeper look into climate voters, and found that among those who said climate action was their “top priority” in their choice for president, Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren are neck-and-neck (24% and 22%, respectively)
Morning Consult conducted the second wave of this tracking poll for the Sierra Club from July 18-24, 2019. They surveyed 1,501 likely Democratic primary voters online, and reported the results for the 843 climate voters (56%), defined for the purpose of this survey as voters who say that the candidates’ climate plans are “very” important in their choice of who to vote for. Results of the poll have a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.
This second wave of the tracking poll uncovered a widely shared belief that, in general, the media has not focused enough on the candidates’ positions on climate change during their coverage of the 2020 Democratic primary election. Nearly two in three climate voters (64%) say the media has given “too little” attention to the candidates’ positions on climate change, while just 22% say the media has given about the right amount of attention, and 6% think it has given too much attention. Once again, an overwhelming 84% of climate voters say the Democratic National Committee should hold a presidential debate focused on the climate crisis. Overall, two in three likely Democratic primary voters now agree (64%).
Morning Consult will continue to conduct the 2020 Climate Voter Tracking Poll for Sierra Club over the coming months, with the next wave of results coming later in the summer.
“Polling continues to make two things clear: Climate voters will be decisive in the eventual outcome of this primary, and Democratic primary voters across the board are demanding the DNC host a debate on gravest existential threat of our time: the climate crisis.” said Sierra Club National Political Director Ariel Hayes. “Tackling the climate crisis has emerged as a top, signature issue in the Democratic contest, which is why knowing who climate voters are supporting now, and as the race moves forward, is critical.”
While the Morning Consult poll for the Sierra Club takes a deeper look at likely primary voters for whom climate action is a "very" important factor in their vote, polling from other leading outfits show that the climate crisis is an increasingly important political issue for the Democratic party as a whole.
According to a CBS News/YouGov survey conducted this month, 78% of Democratic voters across 18 early primary and caucus states said that climate change is a "very important" election issue. In fact, these voters ranked climate change second in a list of seven election topics, after health care.
In New Hampshire, a CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire this month found that climate change and the environment is a top priority for likely Democratic primary voters in the state. The issue ranks second in importance after health care, but ahead of immigration and beating Donald Trump.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.