Clinton sweeps Sanders across the board in Mississippi

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/03/08/clinton-sweeps-sanders-across-the-board-in-mississippi/

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Mississippi Democrats, the only real question was who liked Hillary Clinton the most, as exit polls showed the former secretary of state carried nearly every voter group in her trouncing of Bernie Sanders in Tuesday’s primary election.

In Michigan, haunted by lead contamination in the city of Flint, Democrats strongly endorsed tougher regulations to protect public water supplies.

Voters in both states and parties said they were worried about the economy and shared disdain with the federal government, with Republicans more inclined to describe themselves as angry.

Here are some highlights of the early results of the exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research:

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CLINTON CRUISES IN MISSISSIPPI

Clinton remained hugely popular among black voters. They made up about 7 in 10 of the Democratic electorate in Mississippi, and nearly nine in 10 supported her. Yet she also drew more than half of the vote among whites. About two-thirds of voters under age 45 supported Clinton, whose margin was even more overwhelming among those who are older. She won among women and men, people with less education as well as postgraduates, every income group and moderates.

Clinton even won groups from which Sanders has drawn much of his support elsewhere, including liberals and those who consider income inequality the nation’s biggest problem.

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WARM TOWARD SANDERS, BUT NO BERN

It wasn’t that Mississippi Democrats didn’t like Sanders; they just liked Clinton more. Seven in 10 described him as honest and trustworthy. Nearly half described his positions on the issues as about right, although nearly three in 10 said he was too liberal. More than four in 10 also approved of his views toward business, while three in 10 said he was too anti-business. They were much more likely to see Clinton’s policies than Sanders’ policies as realistic, with more than eight in 10 saying that about Clinton and just half about Sanders.

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MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS

Democratic voters in Michigan see Sanders as more honest, but Clinton as more realistic. About six in 10 said Clinton is honest, while about eight in 10 said the same of Sanders. But six in 10 said Sanders’ policies were more realistic while seven in 10 described Clinton’s policies as such.

About six in 10 said both Sanders and Clinton have the right approach to business, but about one-third think Clinton is too pro-business while about two in 10 said Sanders is too anti-business.

More than eight in 10 called for strengthening public water regulation, while about one in 10 said government rules go too far already.

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TRADE WORRIES

Concern about how trade with other nations affects employment is widespread in both states. More than half the voters in the Democratic and Republican primaries in Michigan — and the Republican primary in Mississippi — said trade costs U.S. jobs, while Mississippi Democrats were more closely divided. Of Mississippi Republicans who said trade takes jobs, about half supported Donald Trump.

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MISSISSIPPI REPUBLICANS

Ted Cruz did best with voters who describe themselves as very conservative, while a majority of moderates and those who consider themselves somewhat conservative backed Trump.

White evangelical Christians were divided between Trump and Cruz. More than half of Mississippi Republicans said it was very important that their candidate share their religious beliefs, and about half of those voters favored Cruz, while four in 10 favored Trump.

Eight in 10 voters said they are very worried about the direction of the national economy and half of them backed Trump. He also got nearly half of the voters who said the economy and jobs is the most important issue facing the country.

Nearly 6 in 10 Mississippi Republicans said they wanted a nominee from outside the political establishment, and they mostly supported Trump. Those looking for someone with political experience were more likely to support Cruz.

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ECONOMIC JITTERS

The economy was a source of bipartisan concern in both states. At least 8 in 10 voters in each primary said they were worried about its direction. About four in 10 Democratic voters and three in 10 Republicans said it was the most important issue. At least 8 in 10 Democratic voters in both Michigan and Mississippi said the country’s economic system benefits the wealthy, rather than being fair to all.

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RACE RELATIONS

More than half the Democrats in both states consider race relations as having deteriorated over the past few years. More than half of black voters in the two states said they’ve gotten worse, while about half of white Democrats felt that way.