Vermont senator Bernie Sanders may be poised to win the first major contest in the race to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

A final Emerson College/7 News Iowa poll found that Sanders has the support of 28 percent of those who will gather on Monday (February 3) at caucuses to discuss and vote for whom they support.

Former vice president Joe Biden is in second place at 21 percent, followed by South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg at 15 percent.

In fourth and fifth place are Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren (14 percent) and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar (11 percent).

There's a margin of error of 3.3 percent.

Sanders was down two percent from the previous poll whereas Buttigieg was up five percent. Warren's support rose by three percent.

Iowa is 85 percent white, so its demographics don't match the country as a whole or heavily populated states with large Democratic Party support, such as California and New York.

In the Democratic Party's Iowa caucuses, each precinct divides its seats based on how caucus goers voted.

The first Democratic presidential primary will be held on February 11 in New Hampshire, which Sanders won handily in 2016 over former senator Hillary Clinton.

Recent polls by American Research Group, RKM Research and Communications, and Marist College all show Sanders with a comfortable lead in New Hampshire.