Primary Exit Polls: Big Turnout From Hispanics, Women For Hillary

Hispanics in Texas and late deciders in both Ohio and Texas went big for Hillary Clinton Tuesday, according to exit polling of the Democratic primaries.

FOXNews.com

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Hispanics in Texas and late deciders in both Ohio and Texas went big for Hillary Clinton Tuesday, according to exit polling of the Democratic primaries.

On the Republican side, voters are split over whether John McCain is conservative enough, while evangelical voters are also splitting their votes in Ohio and Texas between McCain and his only remaining rival, Mike Huckabee.

For Democrats, Latino voters in Texas make up 32 percent of the vote in that state and they were breaking 64 percent for Clinton to 35 percent for Barack Obama. Broken down, Obama captured younger Hispanics by double digits, while older Hispanics preferred Clinton 2 to 1, according to the polling.

In Ohio, Obama was leading among African American voters, who made up one-fifth of voters, up six percent from 2004 -- 9 out of 10.

He also continued his hot streak among younger voters. In Vermont, a primary he won handily Tuesday, he won among younger voters by 70 percent. He lost in Rhode Island, but won among young voters by 63 percent. In Ohio, he won among these voters by 67 percent, in Texas, it was 64 percent. Obama may have lost big among Hispanic voters in Texas, he won slightly among younger Hispanic voters there, 51 percent to 48 percent for Clinton.

Meanwhile, Clinton's so-called "3 a.m. phone ad" might have made an impact, as late deciders in Texas -- those voters who made up their minds in the last three days -- were going for Clinton 66 percent to 34 percent for Obama.

In Ohio, she seems to have captured those voters, too. One out of five Democratic voters were late deciders and they were going with Clinton 55 percent to 44 percent for Obama.

Women voters were also remaining strong for Clinton, 54 percent to 46 percent for Obama in Texas. In Ohio, six in ten voters were women and they were going for Clinton, 54 percent to 45 percent for Obama.

White voters, who make up three-quarters of the Democratic voters in Ohio, were going for Clinton 61 percent to 38 percent for Obama. Seniors aged 65 and old went heavily for Clinton, too, 70 percent to 29 percent for Obama, according to the polling.

Lower-income voters in Ohio -- those making less than $50,000 a year -- were also favoring Clinton 53 percent to 46 percent.

The economy was by far the biggest issue for both Democrats and Republicans going into the polls today. In Texas, 49 percent of Democrats said this was there issue, and those voters were almost evenly split -- 50 percent for Obama, 49 percent for Clinton.

In Ohio, 58 percent of voters said the economy was their issue, and 52 percent of them were going for Clinton, 47 percent for Obama.

On the issue of international trade, 81 percent of Democratic voters in Ohio said it took jobs away from, while only 10 percent said it creates more jobs for the state. In Texas, far less see international trade negatively, with 58 percent saying it takes jobs away from the state and 24 percent saying it actually nets jobs.

Democratic Voters in Ohio who say they belong to a union household -- 34 percent -- went for Clinton 56 percent to 43 percent for Obama.

In Texas, 67 percent of Democratic voters said they are worried about their personal finances, 32 percent are not. Those who are worried, were voting with Clinton 54 percent to 45 percent for Obama.

Clinton was also strong on the health care, winning 58 percent for Clinton to 40 percent for Obama among those voters who said health care was their issue.

In Ohio, many more -- 78 percent -- were worried about their personal finances, and they favored Clinton, 54 percent to 45 percent for Obama.

But among Ohio Democrats, more were saying that Obama had a better chance of beating the Republican in November -- 54 percent to 46 percent for Clinton. Also, nearly half of Democrats said they were looking for change in their candidate, and those voters went big for Obama, 73 percent to 27 percent for Clinton.

On the Republican side, large majorities of voters in Texas and Ohio say they are satisfied with McCain, who is seeking to lock in the nomination after Tuesday's contests. In Ohio 71 percent said they are satisfied, while in Texas, 75 percent are satisfied with McCain.

In Ohio, 47 percent said McCain is conservative enough, but 42 percent said no. In Texas, 46 percent said his conservative credentials were in order, while 44 percent said no.

Evangelical voters are split -- in Ohio, where these voters make up 42 percent of the GOP vote, 49 percent are going with Huckabee, according to the polling, while 44 percent were going with McCain. In Texas, evangelicals make up 51 percent of Republican voters, and of them, 45 percent were breaking with Huckabee, while 44 percent were going with McCain.

Of GOP voters in Ohio, 17 percent said age was indeed a factor in their decision -- McCain is 71 -- while 81 percent said it did not matter. In Texas, 11 percent said age was a factor, while 88 percent said they didn't worry about it.

Texas Republican voters who said they were looking for a candidate who shared their values -- 4 out of 10 They also went for Huckabee 56 percent to 32 percent over McCain.

 

RCP Poll

President Obama Job Approval

RCP Average: +5.3% Details
Approve 49.9%
Disapprove 44.6%

Congressional Job Approval

RCP Average: -37.3% Details
Approve 27.0%
Disapprove 64.3%

Direction of Country

RCP Average: -19.5% Details
Right Direction 37.7%
Wrong Track 57.2%