P
Patriot Games
Guest
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/campaign_exit_poll/2008/02/12/72223.html
Obama's Support Broad in VA, MD
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama drew strong support across race and gender
lines Tuesday in Virginia and Maryland, brazenly laying claim to many of the
core backers of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his rival for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
Obama was evenly splitting the white vote with Clinton in both states,
according to exit poll data, a blow to the New York senator who long has
held a clear advantage with that group. In overall Democratic presidential
contests until now, Clinton has gotten more than half their vote, allowing
her to offset Obama's huge margins with blacks.
In Virginia, Clinton won among white women, the heart of her electoral
strength, but only by 9 percentage points, according to the exit surveys
conducted for The Associated Press and television networks. She led by a
similar margin in Maryland, according to preliminary data there. Obama
countered that by winning by a somewhat larger advantage with white men in
Virginia, and leading with those in Maryland as well.
Clinton usually has run up margins of 20 points or more over Obama with
white women in presidential contests. Overall, the two previously had split
white males evenly, according to data from exit polls in 19 states that have
held competitive Democratic primaries.
In another successful raid on Clinton's most pivotal supporters, Obama got
59 percent of women overall in Virginia, as well as 67 percent of men, the
exit polls showed. He had almost identical margins in Maryland. In previous
Democratic presidential primaries, Clinton _ bidding to become the first
female president _ has routinely carried a steady majority of women while
Obama has enjoyed support from clear but slimmer majorities of males.
Obama had an even bigger margin among blacks than usual, as the Illinois
senator seeking to become the first black president won support from nine in
10 of them in Virginia and had that same lead in Maryland.
On the Republican side, top contender John McCain had big trouble with
evangelical Christians and conservatives who make up a pivotal force within
the GOP and are the heart of the support behind his chief remaining rival,
Mike Huckabee.
Nearly four in 10 Virginia GOP voters were white, born-again and evangelical
Christians, the exit poll showed, a big increase from the state's 2000 GOP
presidential primary. Among them, 63 percent supported Huckabee _ nearly
matching the Baptist minister's best showing of the year with that group,
when he got 70 percent of them last week in his home state of Arkansas.
Huckabee also got 51 percent of Virginia's conservatives, including
two-thirds of those saying they are very conservative. Conservatives made up
two-thirds of Virginia voters in the GOP contest. McCain had a 2-to-1 lead
with moderates.
But Maryland was a different story, where early figures gave him a slender
lead with conservatives and a huge, 5-to-1 advantage among moderates.
In Virginia, Clinton's strength came from whites calling themselves loyal
Democrats, almost six in 10 of whom were behind her. Though that group made
up the bulk of voters, two-thirds of white independents were backing Obama,
and that along with his overwhelming support from blacks powered him in the
state. The margins were similar in Maryland.
Older whites were also leaning Clinton's way in both states, but Obama was
winning among all voters under age 60 _ including getting three-quarters of
those under age 30 in Virginia and nearly as many in Maryland.
As usual, Obama was getting huge support from people saying it is time for
change, who made up more than half the Democratic vote in both states. A
fifth were seeking experience, and virtually all of them backed Clinton.
The GOP race in Virginia had other surprises. In an unexpected showing of
weakness for McCain, independents _ a group the Arizona senator has
dominated _ were about evenly divided between him and Huckabee, the former
Arkansas governor. McCain was carrying those voters in Maryland. McCain
modestly carried people in Virginia calling themselves loyal Republicans,
and was leading among them in Maryland.
The figures came from partial samples of an exit poll conducted by Edison
Media Research and Mitofsky International in 30 precincts each in Maryland
and Virginia for the AP and television networks.
Those interviewed included 1,245 Virginia Democrats and 719 Virginia
Republicans. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percentage
points for Democrats and plus or minus 5 percentage points for the state's
Republicans.
In Maryland, 1,246 Democrats were interviewed with a margin of sampling
error of plus or minus 4 points, and 634 Republicans with a sampling error
margin of 6 points.
Obama's Support Broad in VA, MD
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama drew strong support across race and gender
lines Tuesday in Virginia and Maryland, brazenly laying claim to many of the
core backers of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his rival for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
Obama was evenly splitting the white vote with Clinton in both states,
according to exit poll data, a blow to the New York senator who long has
held a clear advantage with that group. In overall Democratic presidential
contests until now, Clinton has gotten more than half their vote, allowing
her to offset Obama's huge margins with blacks.
In Virginia, Clinton won among white women, the heart of her electoral
strength, but only by 9 percentage points, according to the exit surveys
conducted for The Associated Press and television networks. She led by a
similar margin in Maryland, according to preliminary data there. Obama
countered that by winning by a somewhat larger advantage with white men in
Virginia, and leading with those in Maryland as well.
Clinton usually has run up margins of 20 points or more over Obama with
white women in presidential contests. Overall, the two previously had split
white males evenly, according to data from exit polls in 19 states that have
held competitive Democratic primaries.
In another successful raid on Clinton's most pivotal supporters, Obama got
59 percent of women overall in Virginia, as well as 67 percent of men, the
exit polls showed. He had almost identical margins in Maryland. In previous
Democratic presidential primaries, Clinton _ bidding to become the first
female president _ has routinely carried a steady majority of women while
Obama has enjoyed support from clear but slimmer majorities of males.
Obama had an even bigger margin among blacks than usual, as the Illinois
senator seeking to become the first black president won support from nine in
10 of them in Virginia and had that same lead in Maryland.
On the Republican side, top contender John McCain had big trouble with
evangelical Christians and conservatives who make up a pivotal force within
the GOP and are the heart of the support behind his chief remaining rival,
Mike Huckabee.
Nearly four in 10 Virginia GOP voters were white, born-again and evangelical
Christians, the exit poll showed, a big increase from the state's 2000 GOP
presidential primary. Among them, 63 percent supported Huckabee _ nearly
matching the Baptist minister's best showing of the year with that group,
when he got 70 percent of them last week in his home state of Arkansas.
Huckabee also got 51 percent of Virginia's conservatives, including
two-thirds of those saying they are very conservative. Conservatives made up
two-thirds of Virginia voters in the GOP contest. McCain had a 2-to-1 lead
with moderates.
But Maryland was a different story, where early figures gave him a slender
lead with conservatives and a huge, 5-to-1 advantage among moderates.
In Virginia, Clinton's strength came from whites calling themselves loyal
Democrats, almost six in 10 of whom were behind her. Though that group made
up the bulk of voters, two-thirds of white independents were backing Obama,
and that along with his overwhelming support from blacks powered him in the
state. The margins were similar in Maryland.
Older whites were also leaning Clinton's way in both states, but Obama was
winning among all voters under age 60 _ including getting three-quarters of
those under age 30 in Virginia and nearly as many in Maryland.
As usual, Obama was getting huge support from people saying it is time for
change, who made up more than half the Democratic vote in both states. A
fifth were seeking experience, and virtually all of them backed Clinton.
The GOP race in Virginia had other surprises. In an unexpected showing of
weakness for McCain, independents _ a group the Arizona senator has
dominated _ were about evenly divided between him and Huckabee, the former
Arkansas governor. McCain was carrying those voters in Maryland. McCain
modestly carried people in Virginia calling themselves loyal Republicans,
and was leading among them in Maryland.
The figures came from partial samples of an exit poll conducted by Edison
Media Research and Mitofsky International in 30 precincts each in Maryland
and Virginia for the AP and television networks.
Those interviewed included 1,245 Virginia Democrats and 719 Virginia
Republicans. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percentage
points for Democrats and plus or minus 5 percentage points for the state's
Republicans.
In Maryland, 1,246 Democrats were interviewed with a margin of sampling
error of plus or minus 4 points, and 634 Republicans with a sampling error
margin of 6 points.
