Horserace
April 22, 2008 5:49 PM

Early Exit Poll Peek

Polls close at 8:00pm in Pennsylvania and here is a look at some of the early exit poll results among Pennsylvania Democratic voters. Most Keystone State voters made up their minds about who they were supporting before last week. Seventy seven percent said they made their choice before that, 23 percent did so within the past week. Click here for the updated exit poll data.

The economy was the issue that Democratic primary voters said mattered most to them today, as it has been in most every other state throughout the campaign. Fifty four percent chose the economy as the most important issue, compared to 28 percent who said the war in Iraq and 14 percent who said health care. Eighty nine percent said the U.S. is in a recession while 10 percent said it is not.

Change was the most important quality for voters in Pennsylvania today. Forty nine percent of voters said change was what they were most looking for in a candidate while 26 percent said experience was what mattered to them. Fourteen percent said they were looking for a candidate who cared about them and just 8 percent said they most wanted a candidate who could win in the fall.

After being deluged with campaign ads for weeks, more than half said those ads were an important factor in their decision. Fifty four percent said the ads were important while 43 percent said they were not.

More than half of the supporters of both candidates say they would not be satisfied if the other candidate ends up as the Democratic nomination. Sixty four percent of Clinton voters said they would not be satisfied with Obama as the nominee while 35 percent said they would. Fifty four percent of Obama voters also said they would not be satisfied with Clinton, 44 percent said they would be. Overall however, 70 percent of all Democratic primary voters said they would be satisfied with Clinton as the nominee while 64 percent said they would be satisfied with Obama.

When it comes to the general election, Clinton fared slightly better against John McCain among Democratic primary voters today. Clinton led McCain 80 percent to 11 percent while Obama bested the presumptive GOP nominee 72 percent to 15 percent. But 26 percent of Clinton supporters say they will support McCain in the fall election if Obama is the nominee while 17 percent of his supporters said they would vote for McCain if Clinton wins the nomination.
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Pennsylvania
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Exit Polls
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by efarris38 April 22, 2008 7:14 PM PDT
Looking at these numbers it looks like Senator Clinton will end up having a really good night in Pennsylvania. I agree if people are smart and the economy is at the top of the list of concerns then I feel strongly that Clinton is the best candidate for the job. If she is ablt to win by 8-10 points or more then I think this will continue on for a while.....a strong showing in Indiana will also help continue this fight and give her a lot of momentum. Senator Bayh is also a BIG ASSET to Clinton in the upcoming Indiana battle. I think this thing will not have any clarity until June 3. If she wins with 65% or more in Kentucky and West Virginia like most polls suggest then I think she can win the popular vote. The media has tried very hard to end this thing and give it to Obama but let me say this Clinton voters are not going away and if we dont win the nomination, a large section of us will vote for McCain including myself. Eddie in Nashville,Tn
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by pumaespiritu April 22, 2008 7:38 PM PDT
All of Clinton''s supporters who threaten to vote for McCain are not true democrats nor are they true to the values they supposedley yearn for in a candidate. Obama and Clinton are very similar while both contrasting significantly with McCain. What it comes down to is that they fear a dark-skinned man with strong ethnic ties to other parts of the world. These fake democrats, in other words, are really conservative republicans who lean towards Clinton. Their threats to democratic voters and the party are essentially shallow and meaningless. And Clinton shoulders all of the blame for her fear-mongering tactics to smear Obama. McCain will lead this country into deeper agony and debt with his senile beliefs and convictions. Threatening to support him is a threat to your own people. Wake up.
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by phillysage April 22, 2008 7:42 PM PDT
"...26 percent of Clinton supporters say they will support McCain in the fall election if Obama is the nominee while 17 percent of his supporters said they would vote for McCain if Clinton wins the nomination..."
This is not speculation, this is scientific data and based on this scientific data, it would be really stupid for Democrats to coronate Obama as their nominee--but then again, since when do many of my fellow Democrats follow logic?

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by unlocking-2009 April 22, 2008 7:51 PM PDT
Those 26 percent are probably Republicans who switched to vote for her in the first place, drawing this whole process out anyway. Good riddance.
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by elmerfudd122 April 22, 2008 7:58 PM PDT
Wake up people! Hillary is a liar. Wining about Obama''s mud, which was only in response to her own slinging. What experience? Bill Clinton was/is a very charming bully, especially with vulnerable women, and he did NOTHING in the White House. NAFTA? We all know about that. The surplus? That was from the internet bubble which went bust right after he left office. The Welfare Reform bill? That was modeled after a St. Louis program he also took credit for. The thought of him in the White House again is scary! Hillary IS old politics all the way. We need to wipe out all those who play that way. Look at where it''s gotten us. Keep doing the same thing and expect a different result? That''s just nuts!

Hillary says she "comfortable in the kitchen". You forgot what she said about baking cookies. Lie, lie, lie!
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by johnny_chaos April 22, 2008 7:59 PM PDT
pumaespiritu "These fake democrats, in other words, are really conservative republicans who lean towards Clinton." guess you forgot jim crow. anyway, your comment is pretty stupid, on a lot of issues, conservative republicans are actually trying to help overcome the cycle of victimhood that keeps racism viable. I''m actually more likly to vote for McCain over Clinton, cause i know what she is. i like Ombaba and rarely vote for a republican, but i have no respect for hillary or bills sleeze''o''rama style. they as crooked as any good ol boy, oh wait, thats what they are. Peace from GA... heres for another nail in the coffen of the american democratic experiment.
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by kerriss April 22, 2008 8:01 PM PDT
here in OHIO it''s the life-long dems who will have Clinton or nobody. Obama gets the "Democrats for a Day" who switched parties to vote for him. I would rather vote Republican than Libertarian. And it''s obvious the only reason Obama is even ahead of Clinton is the formerly-Democratic party is bashing Clinton worse than they ever bashed any Republican. Where was all that when it was time to do something about Bush?
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by lochlan-2009 April 22, 2008 8:01 PM PDT
"Clinton voters are not going away and if we dont win the nomination, a large section of us will vote for McCain including myself. Eddie in Nashville,Tn"

Do you realize what you just said? I am baffled at how anybody who really cares about this country, could even say they would vote for McCain. Do you people even have your eyes open? Have you seen what the last several years have done to this country? And people like you without even researching the remotest bit of each candidate, say, "Sir, yes Sir, can I have another?" What do they put in the water in those midwestern and southern states?

Amazing!!!
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by mrtutto April 22, 2008 8:02 PM PDT
To all those people who claim to vote for McCain if their candidate doesn''t get the nomination, I have one word for you DRAFT .
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by elmerfudd122 April 22, 2008 8:04 PM PDT
And BTW, HillaryCare? How about secret meetings in the White House keeping the public and congress out of the loop? Sounds like *** "Madman" Cheney, eh? That''s how she bungled it!
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by elmerfudd122 April 22, 2008 8:06 PM PDT
It''s clear Eddie in Nashville is a Republican idiot, or at least an idiot! HAHAHA!
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by johnny_chaos April 22, 2008 8:08 PM PDT
For all those who think Clinton an ex-Wal-Mart attorney, cares about them, one word "triangulation".

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by johnny_chaos April 22, 2008 8:14 PM PDT
Honestly, looking at the track records, i think McCain would be a better leader then Clinton. He at least has a record to stand on, all i see of hillary is trying to position herself to be president. thats it, self-promotion and trying to change the system into a bigger obstacle to sane healthcare. get rid of HMOS and the insurance industrys hold on medicine, not enshroud it in mandatory policy.
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by darrren12000 April 22, 2008 8:17 PM PDT
wow - these are some disturbing stats! well - if you are tired of the dems losing all the time.
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by truth-hurts April 22, 2008 8:19 PM PDT
More that 60 books have been written about Hillary. I suggest you Obama supporters and Republicans read one of them.
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by luigi999-2009 April 22, 2008 8:26 PM PDT
We''ll now find out how many stupid people live in Pennsylvania ... those who support Witch Hillary.
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by tangledsynap April 22, 2008 8:27 PM PDT
Perhaps because all this wrangling between Democratic and Republican parties the time for America to have a NEW political party may have arrived. The American party.
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by wizardly3 April 22, 2008 8:29 PM PDT
Exit polls show 10% of blacks voted for Hillary and 40% of whites voted for Obama. I thought that whites were the racists???
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by adkmtguide April 22, 2008 8:30 PM PDT
AS a Lifelong republican, upstate New Yorker ,I feel Mrs. Clinton is a disgrace as our senator and as a presidential candidate.She is just plain evil. I may vote for Obama in the hope his freshness may help save the country from the plight Bush has put us in.
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by element51 April 22, 2008 8:37 PM PDT
lochlan....I totally agree with you. For anyone who claims to be a democrat to threaten to vote for McCain if Hillary doesn''t get the nomination just defies the imagination. If you are a person like that and Obama gets the nomination, STAY HOME. The republicans are going to bring out the big guns soon and things are REALLY going to get nasty. It will be hard enough to defeat them no matter who the dems nominate but it will be even harder if we turn on ourselves. All these charges against Obama are relatively new but no one is talking about Hillary or McCains past mis-deeds. I don''t hate McCain but I do believe his election will result in pretty much the same course we are on right now. We need some changes...NOW. Will the democrats be able to affect changes for the better? I don''t know. But for God''s sake let''s not just hand it over to the republicans...again.
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by tomtomasters April 22, 2008 8:42 PM PDT
Clintons have been the only Dems to clip the Republican Bush machine, and it will take another Clinton to do the same. Hillary has been working hard to get things changed for America not just for New York. Support Hillary and we will end this War that has sucked the life out fo Americans at Home. Obama can not beat McCain.
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by b-easy63 April 22, 2008 8:47 PM PDT
Exit polls show 10% of blacks voted for Hillary and 40% of whites voted for Obama. I thought that whites were the racists???

Posted by wizardly3 at 08:29 PM : Apr 22, 2008


What is your point? Did it ever occur to you that people voted for Hillary or Obama to the candidate themselves and not the skin color? When 95% of White Dems did NOT vote for Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton was that racist? FAce it, after the things that Bill and Hillary have pulled in this race and after some of the comments their supporters have made--why in the world would anyone vote for them? Let alone Black people? Can it be Hillary is just not well liked? If she were to be the nominanee, when most blacks and many Independents and Whites voted for McCain or NOT for her, would that be racist? Or just the fact that outside of her support base she is not well liked?

I will not support HIllary no matter what. But her gender and race are not the reason''s why. I think she is a person of extremely poor character and judgment and is a liar. That is reason enough not to want her in office

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by guadalcanal3 April 22, 2008 8:50 PM PDT
Quit calling Hillary Clinton a witch...What do you think this is...Salem?...in the 1600''s?...Witch burning is for uneducated religious zealots who have nothing to do than call people ''superstitious'' names...Hillary Clinton is an American patriot who is willing to dedicate herself to the difficult task of leading us...plain and simple...(all of the candidates are)
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 8:50 PM PDT
BEASY63
EVEN IOF YOUR RIGHT ABOUT HILLARY, SHE IS STILL A BETTER CHOICE THAN OBAMA WILL EVER BE.
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by b-easy63 April 22, 2008 8:52 PM PDT
Quit calling Hillary Clinton a witch...What do you think this is...Salem?...in the 1600''''s?...Witch burning is for uneducated religious zealots who have nothing to do than call people ''''superstitious'''' names...Hillary Clinton is an American patriot who is willing to dedicate herself to the difficult task of leading us...plain and simple...(all of the candidates are)

Posted by guadalcanal3 at 08:50 PM : Apr 22, 2008


Puhleese==they come for the networking and the perks. After being Pres. Her income went from less than 500K per year to several million. WE KNOW why most want to be in power and why they are feted by industry and lobbyists. "To serve the will of the people" is NOT one of those reasons.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 8:52 PM PDT
TANGLEDSYNAP
Now your idea i agree with.
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by b-easy63 April 22, 2008 8:55 PM PDT
BEASY63
EVEN IOF YOUR RIGHT ABOUT HILLARY, SHE IS STILL A BETTER CHOICE THAN OBAMA WILL EVER BE.

Posted by ranger1948 at 08:50 PM : Apr 22, 2008


No she isn''t. She is too evil and not controllable. WE could handle Obama he appears not to have the ballz to fight us--Hillary on the other hand, is likely to take up where Bush left off and then some. "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" look for some serious payback from all those who dared not support her.

On the other hand, maybe she''ll just run the country like she has run her campaign--lots of corruption/sleaze, unpaid bills and run us right into the ground while she lies and her staff fights each other. LOL
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by b-easy63 April 22, 2008 8:56 PM PDT
Quit calling Hillary Clinton a witch...What do you think this is...Salem?...in the 1600''''s?...Witch burning is for uneducated religious zealots who have nothing to do than call people ''''superstitious'''' names...Hillary Clinton is an American patriot who is willing to dedicate herself to the difficult task of leading us...plain and simple...(all of the candidates are)

Posted by guadalcanal3 at 08:50 PM : Apr 22, 2008


They call her witch to keep from calling her beeyatch. Though that is unfair too. She should be called a lying, scheming beeyatch--at least.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 8:56 PM PDT
elmerfudd122
You need to wake up. If obama gets the nomination then the election is assured for McCain. Obama is the liar, racists, terrorist and mob friendly character.
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by waylon70 April 22, 2008 8:58 PM PDT
20yrs in the military, I guess your used to getting lied to. Use your vote wisely, don''t throw it away on politics as usual. We have a chanch to try for some reform in government, it may just be BS but if we don''t take that chance we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the last 8 yrs. I respect your service, but lets get our troops home as soon as possible, no Mcain.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 8:59 PM PDT
beasy63
Better yhanus funding total support to Africa and creating all the laws to favor blacks and supporting terrorists. The truth has already come out about obama and that witch he is married too.
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by element51 April 22, 2008 9:01 PM PDT
ranger 1948....I never said that. I would never advocate taking a persons right to vote away from them. Maybe my choice of words was a little confusing but I never meant to imply anything like that. It wasn''t necessary for you to use the f word toward me. I have no problem with you. What I meant was that if you are a democrat, and can''t vote for your party''s nominee please don''t help the republicans win. If you are a republican then by all means go cast your vote for McCain. In the past I have read your posts and pretty much agreed with you. And I am a Viet Nam vet so I served too.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 9:02 PM PDT
waylon70
I son''t want McCain either but i will vote for him or anyone over obama the racist. I wanted Ron Paul. I want a leader who will lead America not one race. I want a leader who will get us out of Iraq and address our problems at home. It isn''t obama.
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by labourboss April 22, 2008 9:05 PM PDT
SUPPORT HIGHER GAS PRICES ,VOTE REPUBLICAN!
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 9:07 PM PDT
element51
I will give you the benefit of the doubt about your comment and i apologize for the remark. I do not consider myself democrat or republican. I always look at what each candidate offers and try to choose the one i think is better qualified. Unfortunately this time Ron Paul waw not taken serious enough to be put on the ballot.
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by mcvet April 22, 2008 9:07 PM PDT
ranger 1948....I never said that. I would never advocate taking a persons right to vote away from them. Maybe my choice of words was a little confusing but I never meant to imply anything like that. It wasn''''t necessary for you to use the f word toward me. I have no problem with you. What I meant was that if you are a democrat, and can''''t vote for your party''''s nominee please don''''t help the republicans win. If you are a republican then by all means go cast your vote for McCain. In the past I have read your posts and pretty much agreed with you. And I am a Viet Nam vet so I served too.


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Posted by Element51 at 09:01 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse

I agree with you Brother. I started out a Clinton Supporter but switched to Obama after I heard his positions on several subjects. It is going to very difficult on the loser in this race because it has been so heated and lengthy... not to mention close, but to fight it to the end then switch at the end because you lost... it''s sour grapes and would most certainly result in a bad pick for President. When we elect Presidents that way they''ve always turned out bad.
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by mcvet April 22, 2008 9:09 PM PDT
You need to wake up. If obama gets the nomination then the election is assured for McCain. Obama is the liar, racists, terrorist and mob friendly character.


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Posted by ranger1948 at 08:56 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse

I wish you wouldn''t do this. Obama is OUR senator, the citizens of Illinois and every word you have said about him is a LIE! We LIVE with him and he''s represented the citizens of this state for awhile now. He is NOT a racist, is as HONEST as any Politician we''ve ever had and truly represents the people who elected him. Bitterness isn''t going to gain you anything my friend.
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by element51 April 22, 2008 9:10 PM PDT
Ranger1948...I have been a lifelong democrat. I haven''t always agreed with my party''s choices but I have always supported my party because I believe in what they stand for. This time I am really conflicted because I am not at all satisfied with either of our candidates. So what do I do? Even if I have to hold my nose while I do it I will support my party. I think it''s better to take a chance on something new than it is to have four more years of the failed policies we have now. Just ask yourself if you are happy with things the way they are going. If yes, don''t change it...if no than do what you can do to change it.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 9:11 PM PDT
I still believe if obama is elected a racist group will asasinate him. I don''t want that to be a part of our history no matter how much i dislike obama.We need to rebuild our image and stop trying to be the worlds police.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 9:12 PM PDT
McVet
I think you are also blinded like the other followers of obama. I think his true character has been revealed ansd i will not vote for him.
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by waylon70 April 22, 2008 9:15 PM PDT
ranger1948 I agree with you about Ron Paul, Obama is not perfect but Hillary is just a tool, when she speaks for herself its like listening to a broken record of how she hasn''t got a fair shake from the Dems. She won''t beat McCain, she can''t catch Obama. Lets try to get out the middle east, whoever we have to vote for.
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by darrren12000 April 22, 2008 9:16 PM PDT
Please stop saying that Dems voting for McCain are "fake." This is not true. I would never vote for McCain, but I am not voting for Obama. I have stated my reasons before. I am upset that the media and the party establishment tried to force-feed us a candidate. I am also disturbed by portrayals of poor democrats as uneducated and therefore less reliable as voters. I am tired of the blatant sexism -- and racism, fake or real. I am particularly angry that older Democrats have been discarded by younger Dems as "more of the same" or "politics as usual." Obama is the ONLY person who wants change. Support him OR you support Bush. He even conflated Bush and Bill Clinton during his bitter-gate rant. Sorry, but villifying the Clintons never works. When all of those fat white guys kept saying Clinton should drop out (of course, with Obama''s approval) and the media and his internet posse kept tossing gas on the flames, it only made her supporters more defiant.

I am a lifetime Dem. I am very progressive. I have never voted for a Republican. I opposed the War. I thought the Supreme Court was pathetic in Bush v Gore. I believe that Reagan was awful for society. Despite this, I also believe that the Democrats should suffer for how they ran this. Last time, they crushed Dean - the frontrunner -- because the media decided they didn''t like him. Now, they did the same with Clinton. They must learn. No better time than the present.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 9:17 PM PDT
element51
This is why i am not a party member who will support a party whether they are right or wrong.Again we are supposed to choose which is the lesser of the evils like last time. I think Hillary ran the White House while bill was getting blow jobs. We had a great economy under Clinton.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 9:23 PM PDT
The parties always try to force feed us candidates that is why i do not support a party. I do not care What RACE THE CANDIDATE IS. I WANT A CANDIDATE WHHO WILL LEAD OUR NATION AS ONE, WHO WILL GET US OUT OF IRAQ, ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF GAS PRICES, AND ALL THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE AT HOME.
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by ranger1948 April 22, 2008 10:07 PM PDT
waylon70
Check the latest polls, Hillary took Pa by a landslide. She can beat obama.I would rather have her than McCain, but will take McCain over obama. I will take anyone over obama.
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