Exit polls: McCain's New Hampshire support ran deeper than just independents
February 2, 2000
Web posted at: 11:12 a.m. EST (1612 GMT)
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) -- As expected, John McCain did well with independent
voters who cast ballots in New Hampshire's GOP presidential primary. But
McCain also did better with registered Republicans than his main rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
According to CNN exit polling, 63 percent of those who voted in the GOP primary were
registered Republicans. Among them, 44 percent went for McCain and 36 percent for
Bush. Thirty-two percent of those who voted in the GOP primary were registered
as independents. Of them, 61 percent went for McCain, 19 percent for Bush.
Other exit poll highlights:
Gender gap in Democratic race? Not much: CNN exit polls show 38 percent of those who voted
in the Democratic primary were men. Of them, 49 percent voted for former pro-basketball star Bradley;
50 percent voted for Gore. Sixty-two percent of those who voted in the GOP primary
were women. Of them, 47 percent voted for Bradley; 53 percent for Gore.
Bradley draws support from educated Democrats: Fifty-four percent of voters in New Hampshire's Democratic primary say they are
college graduates. Among them, 52 percent voted for Bradley, 47 percent for Gore.
Late decision-makers favored Bradley: Fifteen percent of those who voted in the Democratic
primary say they made their voting decision Tuesday. Fifty-seven percent of them voted for Bradley and
42 percent for Gore, according to exit polls.
McCain scored with conservatives: Of the 51 percent who voted in the GOP primary who say
they are conservative, 37 percent voted for McCain, 36 percent for Bush. Publisher Steve Forbes and
conservative commentator Alan Keyes took one-fourth of the conservative vote, with 15 percent for Forbes and 10 percent
for Keyes. Bauer got 1 percent of the conservative vote.
Gore scores with registered Democrats: Sixty-five percent of those who voted in the
Democratic primary say they are registered Democrats. Among those voters, Gore got 58 percent,
Bradley 42 percent. Thirty percent of those who voted in the Democratic primary were
independents. They favored Bradley, 57 percent to 42 percent. This dynamic is
likely to favor Gore in other states where independents cannot vote in party
primaries.
Gore benefited from New Hampshire economic boom: Two-thirds of those who voted in the
Democratic primary say their family's financial situation is better. Of those voters, 57 percent
voted for Gore, 42 percent for Bradley.
Bradley gets support from Democrats dissatisfied with Clinton: Of the 54 percent of Democratic
primary voters who say they have an unfavorable opinion of President Clinton, 58 percent voted for
Bradley compared to 40 percent for Gore.
Bush and McCain split on electability issue: Despite Bush's standing as the frontrunner nationally, he doesn't do much
better than McCain on the issue of electability. Forty-six percent of voters in
the GOP primary said Bush is most likely to win in November, 43 percent said
McCain is most likely to win.
Straight talk helps McCain: When GOP primary voters were asked what is the most important
quality in a candidate, the number one answer was stands up for beliefs (35 percent). Of
those voters, 60 percent voted for McCain, 14 percent for Bush, 14 percent for
Forbes.
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