Poll worker Tahmina Banu, center, instructs a voter Tuesday at a polling place in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
WASHINGTON (AP) — As New York voters headed to the polls Tuesday, Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say they have been energized by the primary battles within their parties.
A majority of GOP voters say the candidate with the most votes going into the convention should be the party’s presidential nominee. And many voters from both parties say they’re concerned about the economy and Wall Street.
Those were some of the early results of exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research. Polls in the state close at 9 p.m. EDT.
Other exit poll highlights:
ENERGIZING OR DIVISIVE?
Two-thirds of Democratic voters say the contest between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has been energizing for the party, while less than 3 in 10 consider it divisive.
But Republican voters hold the opposite view: Nearly 6 in 10 say their party has been divided by the heated nomination contest between billionaire Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Only 4 in 10 GOP voters say it has been energizing, exit polls show.
In the Democratic primary, about 7 in 10 supporters of each candidate said that they would definitely or probably vote for the other candidate in November.
LET THE VOTERS DECIDE
Seven in 10 GOP voters say the candidate with the most votes in primary contests should be the Republican presidential nominee. Conversely, just a quarter of voters say the delegates sent to the convention in Cleveland should decide.
So far, Trump is likely to go into the convention with the delegate lead over Cruz and Kasich. But the billionaire may not have enough delegates to win the nomination outright.
WALL STREET AND THE ECONOMY
New Yorkers — Democrats and Republicans alike — are concerned about the economy. And many in both parties are worried about the influence of Wall Street.
Large majorities of voters in either primary said they are concerned about the direction of the national economy, and voters on both sides were most likely choose it as the top issue facing the country, exit polls show.
About 6 in 10 Democrats regard Wall Street as detrimental to the U.S. economy, while 3 in 10 say the New York City financial sector helps. GOP voters were nearly even on the question.
Poll worker Tahmina Banu, center, instructs a voter Tuesday at a polling place in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) 
