Exit Polling Explains Obama Sweep in Virginia; McCain Grappling With Conservatives’ Doubt
Barack Obama won the Virginia Democratic primary Tuesday by taking traditional demographic groups supportive of him but also by cutting into Hillary Clinton’s core support
Meanwhile, conservatives showed their unhappiness with John McCain by overwhelmingly voting for Mike Huckabee in the state’s Republican primary.
Among women, typically Clinton’s most loyal supporters, Obama picked up 59 percent of the vote. And while voters 65 and older have come out strong for Clinton in other states, in Virginia Obama garnered 52 percent of their vote.
Obama also won the low-income vote — another category Clinton has typically dominated. Among voters making less than $50,000 a year, Obama took 59 percent of the vote, with 40 percent going for Clinton. He also won high-income Democrats, who have typically fallen in his favor.
Obama closed the margin of white voters in Virginia, taking 50 percent of the vote. Obama also dominated among men, getting support from 65 percent.
Obama also dominated among his other typical supporters, convincingly taking the black vote — a bloc that makes up almost a third of the state’s party — by 90 percent compared to Clinton’s 10 percent.
Young voters came out 75 percent for Obama and 25 percent for Clinton. New voters — young and old — went almost 2 to 1 for Obama.
Because Virginians could vote in either primary today, independents played a role for the Democrats and Obama. Sixty-six percent of independents voting in the Virginia Democratic primary voted for him.
Some Democrats are also feeling a bit unenthusastic about Clinton. Most voters said they’d be satisfied with either Democrat, but 34 percent said they would be dissatisfied with Clinton, compared to just 19 percent for Obama.
For Republicans, despite being his party’s front-runner for president, John McCain is still struggling to gain support from conservatives, exit polls showed.
More than two-thirds — 68 percent — of Republican voters in the Old Dominion said they’re conservative. They voted 51 percent for Huckabee and 35 percent for McCain.
Most of these voters said their problem is with the Arizona senator’s outlook. Fifty-three percent said he wasn’t conservative enough, 41 percent said he was “about right” and just 3 percent said he was too conservative.
Talk radio may be playing a big role — 62 percent of Republicans said they frequently listen to conservative programs like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. Many of those hosts don’t endorse McCain, and their fans seem to have followed suit, voting 48 percent for Huckabee and 38 percent for McCain.
Independents continued to support McCain, with 38 percent supporting him, but Huckabee was close behind with 35 percent. 20 percent said they voted for Ron Paul.
Evangelicals continued their support of Huckabee by giving him 61 percent of the vote, with McCain picking up 28 percent.
Voters who said they think the economy is in bad shape backed McCain by 12 percentage points.
For the candidate most qualified to be commander-in-chief, 63 percent of Virginia voters said McCain and 23 percent picked Huckabee.
The FOX News exit poll questioned 1,245 Democratic and 719 Republican voters in Virginia as they were leaving their polling places.
Are you a Conservative from Texas….no I mean a real American…the kind George Washington, Patrick Henry, Daniel Boone, Davy Crocket, Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt were? The kind that likes an uphill challenge as long as they know that what they are fighting for is worth fighting for, or are you like the rest of the sheep ready to be lead to the slaughter as long as you don’t make any waves? If your a conservative of the first kind your choice in the Presidential Republican primaries is clear. A wise man once said you are known by your enemies. McCain seems to be the darling of the liberal press while Huckabee is tucked as far out of sight as possible. One has ethics that change with the wind (unlike our forefathers) and the other is unchanging in his values. I am quite sure that when Washington crossed the Delaware he had no guarantees other than his faith in his Creator but he did what he knew to be right, and though Mr. Crocket went down in the Alamo I’m sure he would make no other choice but to do what was and is right. Do you have that kind of courage? Are Texans the brave courageous, bigger than life people that we hear of are just more sheep lining up for the slaughter? Do the right thing, put the liberal media on their ear, vote in your primary and not for their darling but for Mike Huckabee. Thanks Signed a Gramma from North Carolina who wants her future generations to know and understand what it is to be a United States of America Citizen!!!
What amazes me is the typical lack of true reporting or fact finding. All these polls and reports keep talking as if Huckabee is still in this race only because of “evangelicals”. While they are a big percentage of his support base, they are not the overall factor. What keeps conveniently being left out is just how much his meesage on the FAIR TAX is having an effect.
I have never seen so many mis-informed Americans in my life.
If you were informed you would know that Governor Huckabee balanced the budget in Arkansas while he was Governor.
Governor Huckabee left the State Treasury with a surplus of over
$800,000,000.
Governor Huckabee cut the crime rate while in office.\
Janet Huckabee serves as the chairperson for the American Red Cross and was one of the first responders after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Her organization helped 70,000+ evacuees find food, clothing, and shelter.
David Huckabee did kill a dog. He was serving as a counsellor at a Boy Scout Camp. A stray dog kept bother the kids, so he killed the dog to protect the kids. You would kill a dog too if he were bothering your kids.
Do a little research of your own and get the facts.
With this being my first election that i will be able to participate in at long last, and for that matter, it being a close race for both sides still [dont count out Huckabee, thank god!]. It still scares me, and while ive known how much the media drives the election, it just scares me as to what extent that people just go on what the media says. If the media plays more Obama then anyone, expect him to win the Dem’s primaries. I really wish that people would go out and try to be educated with the election as to not let the media tell them what to vote on by either showing favored bias, or showing way more showtime to the Dems, rather then giving at least a portion to showing the Republicans, and not JUST McCain, and Huckabee’s “Narrow Chance of surviving”. With this election, and the previous election as well, when i became interested in politics, really drives me to succeed in trying to change this system of the media and become elected, and try to make this all a even playing field for everyone. Ron Paul, for instance, had great ideas, but the media decided to not even show anything on him, therefore, it was a shutout, when i do believe he should have had a fair chance, for he had great ideas. But then again, this is the media these days, and we do have a brainwashed America. At least people like you and I still go out to vote, and are educated in doing backround, and viewpoint history. Sorry this is such a ramble, but i am in the middle of class, and I don’t have much time to type.
Correction:
Governor Huckabee left the State Treasury of Arkansas with $800,000,000 .
TC tells us to stop all the hate and in the same breath calls Huckabee supporters maniacals. Hypocrit
I have never seen the American people so mis-informed in my life.
If you were informed you would know that Governor Huckabee was succesful diminishing crime in Arkansas.
Governor Huckabee balanced the budget in Arkansas.
When he left office there was a surplus of over $800,000 in the state treasury.
Janet Huckabee was one of the first responders after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. And as chairperson for the American Red Cross help 70,000+ evacuees find food, clothing, and shelter.
David Huckabee did kill a dog. He was a counsellor at a Boy Scout camp, and a stray dog kept bothering the kids. So to protect the kids he killed the dog. Such a great loss????? Give me a break. You’d kill a dog too if he were bothering your kids.
Well, we could go on and on. Why don’t you do a little research for yourself instead of letting the liberal news media do all the half-assed research for you.