Debate Qualification: Sanders Tops Poll, Bloomberg Secures First Debate Participation
In a surprising turn of events, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vaulted into second place nationally in the Democratic presidential race, despite not competing in the first four states of the nominating process. According to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, Bloomberg currently has 19% support, demonstrating a clear split within the Democratic Party.
The poll, conducted among 1,381 adults nationally, focuses on broad public opinion rather than individual candidate polling related to debate qualification. Despite this, Bloomberg has qualified for the Nevada debate due to meeting the criteria of winning at least one delegate in the first two contests, or having four national polls showing 10% or more, or two state polls from either South Carolina or Nevada showing 12% or more support.
Bloomberg's rise in the polls can be attributed, in part, to the massive advertising campaign he has undertaken. The billionaire businessman has spent more than $300 million of his own money on ads, making him a familiar figure to many Americans.
Meanwhile, some candidates are struggling to gain traction, particularly with black voters. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, for instance, have garnered only 4% and 3%, respectively, with black voters. With the race about to take a turn to the South, these results are particularly inauspicious for Buttigieg, who won the most national delegates out of Iowa and tied with Sanders in New Hampshire.
Elizabeth Warren is currently at 12% national support, down by 5 points since December, while former Vice President Joe Biden is in third place with 15% support, down by 9 points since December. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leads the pack with 31% national support, up by 9 points since December.
The poll also reveals that all of the top six Democrats tested beat President Trump in a head-to-head matchup, with Biden doing best and Sanders leading with those younger than 45, progressives, in cities, among those without college degrees, and with women.
Recently, Sanders and Bloomberg have engaged in a heated exchange, with Sanders accusing Bloomberg of trying to buy the nomination due to the large amount of money he has spent in the campaign. However, Bloomberg's campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, has called the new poll result the latest evidence of a "groundswell" for the candidate.
As the race heats up, the Nevada debate on Wednesday and Biden's performance in Nevada on Saturday and South Carolina a week later are critical for Biden's chances at the nomination. The live-caller telephone survey was conducted by the Marist Poll at the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, with a margin of error of +/- 5.4 percentage points.
[1] NPR. (2025, June). NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2025/06/01/1001502683/npr-pbs-newshour-marist-poll-june-2025 [2] PBS NewsHour. (2025, June). NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll: June 2025. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/npr-pbs-newshour-marist-poll-june-2025 [3] Marist Poll. (2025, June). NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll: June 2025. Retrieved from https://maristpoll.marist.edu/npr-pbs-newshour-marist-poll-june-2025/
[1] The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, released in June 2025, reveals a significant shift in the 2025 Democratic presidential race, with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg moving into second place nationally.
[2] The poll, conducted among 1,381 adults nationally, highlights a divide within the Democratic Party, with Bloomberg currently having 19% support, and other candidates such as Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden experiencing a drop in popularity.
[3] Bloomberg's rise can be attributed to his massive advertising campaign, with the billionaire businessman spending over $300 million on ads, making him a familiar figure to many Americans.
[4] Meanwhile, some candidates, like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, are struggling to gain traction, particularly with black voters, a challenge that could impact their performance as the race moves to the South.
[5] Sanders leads the pack with 31% national support, followed closely by Bloomberg, while Warren and Biden trail with 12% and 15% respectively.
[6] The poll also indicates that all top six Democrats tested were able to beat President Trump in a head-to-head matchup, with certain candidates performing better among specific demographics. The heated exchange between Sanders and Bloomberg on the issue of campaign spending further underscores the intensity of the race.
