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Warren surges to top spot in Iowa poll

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren at the Polk County Democrats' Steak Fry in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has overtaken 2020 rival Joe Biden in Iowa to snatch the lead in a Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll of preferred Democratic presidential candidates published Saturday night.

Why it matters: Per the Des Moines Register, this is the first time Warren has led in the state's poll. It's the latest in a series of surges in the polls for the Massachusetts senator. She's also been drawing big crowds in recent weeks.

  • Warren drew her largest campaign rally crowd of the 2020 cycle last Monday, when more than 20,000 people flocked to see her at Washington Square Park in New York City.

By the numbers: The poll of 602 likely Democratic caucusgoers was conducted Sept. 14-18, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. 22% of those polled say Warren is their pick for president. Former Vice President Biden is second with 20% and Sen. Bernie Sanders is the next closest at 11%.

Yes, but: While Warren and Biden appear to have pulled away from the rest of the Democratic presidential pack in Iowa, 63% of those polled said they could still change their mind after picking a top choice. Just 20% said they were decided on a first-choice candidate.

The big picture: Warren surged to the top of the Iowa poll as she joined 16 other Democratic presidential candidates at the state's annual Polk County Steak Fry in Des Moines, which drew a crowd of more than 12,200, according to the organizers, the Polk County Democrats.

  • Warren won the biggest applause at the event, for reiterating her call for President Trump to be impeached, the New York Times reports.

Go deeper:

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan
39 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 5: The secret CIA plan

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer, Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. This Axios series takes you inside the collapse of a president.

Episode 5: Trump vs. Gina — The president becomes increasingly rash and devises a plan to tamper with the nation's intelligence command.

In his final weeks in office, after losing the election to Joe Biden, President Donald Trump embarked on a vengeful exit strategy that included a hasty and ill-thought-out plan to jam up CIA Director Gina Haspel by firing her top deputy and replacing him with a protege of Republican Congressman Devin Nunes.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Health: CDC director defends agency's response to pandemic — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Empire State Building among hundreds to light up in Biden inauguration coronavirus tribute.
  3. Vaccine: Fauci: 100 million doses in 100 days is "absolutely" doable.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again.
  5. Tech: Kids' screen time sees a big increase.
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Orion Rummler
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden Cabinet confirmation schedule: When to watch hearings

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Jan. 16 in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

The first hearings for President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet nominations begin on Tuesday, with testimony from his picks to lead the departments of State, Homeland and Defense.

Why it matters: It's been a slow start for a process that usually takes place days or weeks earlier for incoming presidents. The first slate of nominees will appear on Tuesday before a Republican-controlled Senate, but that will change once the new Democratic senators-elect from Georgia are sworn in.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow