Pete Buttigieg stomps Biden in first primary polling

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg topped a new presidential poll out of New Hampshire this week, beating boss President Joe Biden for the top spot by five percentage points.

The Granite State Poll found Buttigieg was preferred by 23 percent of likely Democratic voters compared to 18 percent for both Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and 15 percent for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Buttigieg beat all three former rivals when he won the Iowa Democratic Caucuses in 2020.

The current first-in-the-nation primary poll also found that 66 percent of likely Dem voters are lukewarm on the idea that Biden should run for a second term, with 35 percent responding “probably not” and 26 percent “definitely not.”

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An announcement from Biden about his plans is expected soon.

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Despite Buttigieg facing two public relations disasters in as many months — the Southwest Airlines Armageddon over Christmas and an FAA meltdown that grounded the entire domestic fleet for hours in January — the 41-year-old former South Bend mayor and current cabinet secretary remains popular with Democrats.

The survey indicated Buttigieg enjoys a 69 percent approval rating among likely Dem voters, compared with just 49 percent for Biden. Warren fans gave the Massachusetts senator a 71 percent thumbs up.

The biggest loser in the poll was popular California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who dropped from 10 percent to 1 percent among likely Dem voters, compared to a Granite State Poll from last July.

First-in-line to the presidency, Vice President Kamala Harris topped the second-most-popular rankings, with 17 percent, beating out two other women: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) with 14 percent and Warren with 13 percent.

According to Politico, Buttigieg is quietly assembling a campaign infrastructure ready to spring into action when the opportunity arises. While a challenge to Biden is a long shot — the two are close, and Buttigieg is a loyal foot soldier promoting the president’s agenda — the new dad did move to Michigan recently.

It’s husband Chasten’s home state and where Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) just announced she’s retiring from the Senate.

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