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Joe Biden has opened up a 32-point lead over his nearest rival for the Democrat nomination for the presidency in 2020, according to a new poll.
Since entering the race to take on Donald Trump in April, the former vice president has set a new record for fundraising in the first 24-hours of a campaign - $6.3m (£4.8m) - and pushed his way to the top of most polls.
Mr Biden beat the fundraising record of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who sits in second place in the The Hill-HarrisX poll with 14 per cent of respondents to Mr Biden's 46 per cent. The poll, which was taken over the weekend and involved 440 voters is the latest in a trend of polls that has shown Mr Biden increasing his lead over his rivals.
In the last two weeks, three other polls of more than 1,000 registered voters have put Mr Biden ahead of Mr Sanders by 24, 26 and 30 percentage points. According to an average of polls over the last month, Mr Biden has a lead of 22.3 points.
While not too much should be read into polls before the primaries begin, particularly given Mr Sanders experience of the race in 2016, it is clear that Mr Biden is leaving little room for the more than 20 other candidates in the field. Both Mr Biden and Mr Sanders would beat Mr Trump at the ballot box according to a recent poll.
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1/13 Joe Biden
The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well
EPA
2/13 Bernie Sanders
The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020
Getty
3/13 Pete Buttigieg
The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history
Getty
4/13 Beto O'Rourke
The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He intends to run on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome"
AP
5/13 Elizabeth Warren
The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street.
Reuters
6/13 Cory Booker
The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority
Getty
7/13 Wayne Messam
Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord
Vice News
8/13 Kirsten Gillibrand
The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege”
Getty
9/13 Kamala Harris
The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class
AFP/Getty
10/13 John Delaney
The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017
AP
11/13 Tulsi Gabbard
The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
Getty
12/13 Andrew Yang
The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18
Getty
13/13 Julian Castro
The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US
Getty
1/13 Joe Biden
The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well
EPA
2/13 Bernie Sanders
The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020
Getty
3/13 Pete Buttigieg
The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history
Getty
4/13 Beto O'Rourke
The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He intends to run on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome"
AP
5/13 Elizabeth Warren
The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street.
Reuters
6/13 Cory Booker
The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority
Getty
7/13 Wayne Messam
Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord
Vice News
8/13 Kirsten Gillibrand
The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege”
Getty
9/13 Kamala Harris
The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class
AFP/Getty
10/13 John Delaney
The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017
AP
11/13 Tulsi Gabbard
The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
Getty
12/13 Andrew Yang
The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18
Getty
13/13 Julian Castro
The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US
Getty
The latest poll moves former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg - one of the surprise packages in this year's race - into third position on 8 per cent, with Senator Elizabeth Warren in fourth place on 7 per cent. Ms Warren still holds third place when an average of polls is taken, on 7.3 per cent.
California Senator Kamala Harris is fifth on 6 per cent - although she is likely to get a boost in forthcoming polls after her tough questioning of Attorney General William Barr over special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report.
All others are polling at less than five per cent, with candidates like Beto O'Rouke (3 per cent) dropping after entering the race to much fanfare earlier this year.
The fact that Mr Biden is looming so heavily over the race has pushed candidates into announcing a number of ambitious policy positions to try and gain traction.
Mr O'Rouke has announced what he described as the “most ambitious plan to confront climate change we have ever seen” including investing $5 trillion in infrastructure and innovation projects over the next decade.
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As for Ms Warren, she has announced plans to cancel $50,000 in student loans for many Americans, and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has mapped out what has has labelled “the most sweeping gun violence prevention plan ever seen by a presidential candidate.
Mr Biden's campaign is not without its own problems, including the former vice president facing allegations from a number of women that he greeted and touched them inappropriately in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. Mr Biden has said it is “his responsibility” to act with more consideration in future.