HOUSTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is winning the likability race.
A new poll found that Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters view the Massachusetts senator more favorably than any of her rivals for the party’s presidential nomination.
Ms. Warren enjoys a net favorability rating of 64%, outshining former Vice President Joseph R. Biden’s 49%, according to the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
The results are a further boost for Ms. Warren, who has been climbing in the polls, as she and other top-tier candidates face off in debate Thursday night in Houston.
The spike in favorability is a startling image makeover for Ms. Warren, who was described in a January profile in Vanity Fair magazine as coming across on Capitol Hill as “holier than thou,” “aloof” and having a “moralizing” tone.
Mr. Biden, the front-runner in the race, had a favorability score of 71% and an unfavorable score of 22%, resulting in the net favorable 64%.
The new poll showed Ms. Warren’s unfavorable rating tied at 11% with Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, who is known for his “nice guy” image.
Her favorable score of 75% also topped Mr. Biden.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who relishes her reputation for being “Minnesota nice,” scored a net favorability rating of 18%, with an 18% unfavorable score.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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