Bernie Sanders continued his lead as the front-runner in Iowa by 7 Points - Poll Released on the eve of Caucus Night

Democratic presidential hopeful Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders speaks on stage at "First in the West" event in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 17, 2019.

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Senator Bernie Sanders continued his lead as the frontrunner for Iowa Democrats by seven points in a new poll released on the eve of the state's caucuses.

The latest Emerson College poll, released on Sunday evening, shows Sanders leading the narrowing 2020 Democratic primary field with 28 percent of support from respondents in Iowa. Former Vice President Joe Biden followed behind in second place with support from 21 percent of likely caucusgoers, while former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Elizabeth Warren trailed behind in third and fourth, with 15 and 14 percent respectively.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, who was the only other candidate in double digits, came in fifth with 11 percent. The survey, conducted between January 30 and February 2, polled 853 Iowans who were likely to participate in the state's Democratic caucuses. The margin of error is roughly 3.3 percentage points.

Newsweek reached out to Sanders' campaign for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Although the results showed Sanders dip slightly by two points from last week's figures, other recent polls have similarly predicted that the senator is likely to take out Iowa. A CBS News poll, released earlier today, had Sanders and Biden tied at 25 percent for first choice among likely caucusgoers.

A new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald/NBC10 Boston poll released hours before the Iowa caucuses showed the 2020 candidate also leading his Democratic rivals in New Hampshire by seven points, with 31 percent of support among likely Democratic voters. Biden and Warren came in second and third in New Hampshire, garnering 25 and 17 percent respectively.

If the Iowa polls correctly predict Sanders' win on Monday night, the senator will head into New Hampshire with enormous momentum for a two-part victory. "If he should win in both states, he would be the first Democrat that was not an incumbent president to do so since John Kerry in 2004," said Christina Cliff, assistant professor of political science at Franklin Pierce University.

Sanders told Iowan supporters on Sunday night that tomorrow's caucuses will mark the "beginning of the end for Donald Trump." While hosting a Super Bowl watch party at a Des Moines bar, Sanders expressed gratitude to his base for their staunch dedication to his presidential campaign.

"I really have been impressed about how serious the people of this state are examining the issues and listening to the candidates," he said. "And I thank you all very much for that. I don't have to tell anybody in this room that the 2020 election is the most consequential election, certainly in the modern history of America, and quite possibly in the history of America."

After promising to do all he can to defeat the "most dangerous president" in American history, in reference to President Donald Trump, Sanders vowed that he would also bring the country together "around an agenda that works for all of us."

"So, tomorrow night is the beginning. It is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump," Sanders added. "At the beginning of the moment when we tell the billionaire class in the one percent: this country belongs to all of us, not just a few."



BY CHRISTINA ZHAO