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Joe Biden Edges Past Bernie Sanders in New National Poll

Hillary Clinton continues to lead but has lost ground since last month.
Image: Joe Biden attends Allegheny County Labor Day Parade
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 7: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden runs while participating in the annual Allegheny County Labor Day Parade September 7, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Biden has been subject of speculation about whether he will run for the U.S. presidency. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)Jeff Swensen / Getty Images

Vice President Joe Biden has edged past Bernie Sanders in a new national poll of Democratic voters, while Hillary Clinton continues to lead the Democratic field but has lost ground since last month.

The new Monmouth University poll shows that 42 percent of Democrats back Clinton, 22 percent support Biden and 20 percent favor Sanders.

Clinton's support has dropped from 52 percent in August to 42 percent now.

It has been a significant boost for Biden, who has yet to make a decision about whether he'll seek the presidency. Biden secured 12 percent support when Monmouth polled Democrats last month.

Biden is also enjoying a boost in his favorability rating, with 71 percent of Democrats giving him a thumbs up, while only nine percent hold a negative view. Last month, 67 percent viewed him favorably, while 14 percent viewed him unfavorably.

Despite losing ground in the new poll, Clinton is still viewed in a positive light by the vast majority of Democratic voters. Her favorability rating has remained stable at 71 percent favorable, 17 percent unfavorable.

Her lead of 20 points over her next closest challenger also represents a more robust status as a frontrunner than her GOP counterpart.

A Monmouth poll last week showed GOP frontrunner Donald Trump leading the GOP field at 30 percent, followed by Ben Carson at 18 percent.