Joe Biden loses ground to Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders after first Democratic debate

Enthusiasm for Vice President Joseph R. Biden to jump into the 2016 Democratic presidential race didn’t grow after last week’s debate, according to a poll released Monday that showed former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton with a solid lead and most debate-watchers wanting Mr. Biden to sit it out.

Mr. Biden was at 18 percent in the race for the 2016 Democratic nomination, behind Mrs. Clinton at 45 percent and Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont at 29 percent, according to the CNN/ORC poll. Support for Mr. Biden actually dipped 4 points compared to a poll taken in September, while Mrs. Clinton’s numbers ticked up 3 points and support for Mr. Sanders grew 5 points.

In August, 53 percent of registered Democrats said they wanted Mr. Biden to run, but that was down to 47 percent in the new poll.

And while Mr. Biden had solid favorability numbers among both Democrats who watched the debate and those who did not, 61 percent of debate-watchers said he should not run. Mr. Biden, who has been wrestling with a decision on whether to run for weeks, was not at last week’s debate in Las Vegas.

Of those who watched the debate, 62 percent said Mrs. Clinton did the best job, while 35 percent said Mr. Sanders, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia garnered 1 percent apiece.

Mrs. Clinton was also judged the candidate best equipped to handle a range of issues, including the economy, health care, race relations, climate change, foreign policy, gun policy and income inequality.

Mr. Biden did run better against two of the top 2016 GOP presidential contenders than Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Sanders in hypothetical general election match-ups, leading businessman Donald Trump by 10 points, 53 percent to 43 percent, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson by 8 points, 52 percent to 44 percent.

Mrs. Clinton led Mr. Trump by 5 points, 50 percent to 45 percent, but trailed Mr. Carson by 1 point, 48 percent to 47 percent.

Mr. Sanders led Mr. Trump by 9 points, 53 percent to 44 percent, but trailed Mr. Carson by 2 points, 48 percent to 46 percent.