Bernie Sanders Slides to Third in Iowa Poll as Fewer Respondents View Him Favorably
A slide in favorable feelings toward U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has accompanied his slide into third place in the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll.
Sanders has the highest unfavorable rating of the five top-polling candidates. The net favorable rating for Sanders — a combination of likely Democratic caucusgoers who report feeling very or mostly favorable toward the senator from Vermont — has dropped from a high of 74% last December to 58% in September. His net unfavorable rating, combining those whose feelings are mostly or very unfavorable — rose nearly as much in that time, going from 22% to 36%.
Both ratings were relatively stable in Iowa Polls before September. The biggest shifts come from the portion of likely caucusgoers who report their feelings as very favorable toward him — a drop from 43% in December to 26% now.