South Bend mayor Buttigieg is front-runner in Iowa Democratic presidential race -poll

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg holds a clear lead among Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa, which will hold the first nominating contest in February, according to a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom opinion poll released on Saturday.

Buttigieg's support climbed to 25%, a 16-point increase since the previous survey in September, CNN reported.

There is a close three-way battle for second with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at 16%, and former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders each at 15%. Since September, Warren dropped six percentage points and Biden slipped five points, while Sanders gained four points, CNN said.