Politics and Public Opinion

What the exit polls in Wisconsin tell us

*Is it really, truly over?  It seems so, yet the exit poll in the important swing state of Wisconsin revealed some problems for the all-but-inevitable nominee Mitt Romney.

*Santorum continued to do well with rural voters, those with lower incomes, and evangelicals.  Romney does better with suburban, somewhat conservative, higher income, and non-evangelical voters.  Romney’s “coalition” will be more numerous in the fall.

*Romney and Santorum each won 43 percent of voters who described themselves as very conservative, an improvement for front runner Romney.  He won somewhat conservative and moderate to liberal voters decisively.

*Eighty percent of Wisconsin voters said Romney was mostly likely to win the nomination.  But 44 percent of voters in another question said that Romney’s positions were “not conservative enough,” which may indicate a problem in the fall.  Two-thirds of voters there said they would be satisfied if Romney wins the nomination, but 32 percent said they would not.

*Wisconsin voters trusted Romney more than the other candidates on health care.

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