Exit polls: McCain still has conservative troubles

02.20.08 -- 2:54 AM

By CNN

John McCain still has trouble with GOP voters who consider themselves "very conservative," but his strength among moderates and those who say they are only "somewhat conservative" made up for the deficit among the more orthodox in Tuesday's GOP primary in Wisconsin, exit polls showed.

McCain voters were also slightly more concerned about the war in Iraq than the economy, which was otherwise the top issue on the minds of Wisconsin Republican voters.

McCain will handily win the primary, CNN projects, with more than 50 percent of the vote, according to the exit polls. CNN also projects that McCain will win the Washington state GOP primary, based on early results that showed him with a commanding lead.

Nearly half of the voters who said they were very conservative cast their ballots for McCain's chief rival, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. But McCain voters made up 38 percent of that number -- and 55 percent of the somewhat conservative Republicans went for McCain while 70 percent of the moderates followed suit.

Evangelical voters still flocked to Huckabee, a one-time Baptist minister.

Overall, McCain won a plurality of the nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin Republicans who identified themselves as conservatives, taking 48 percent to Huckabee's 42 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the only other Republican still in the race, was taking 5 percent of conservatives, and Mitt Romney, who withdrew two weeks ago, was taking 3 percent.

In Wisconsin, 77 percent of the GOP voters said they'd be satisfied if McCain is the GOP nominee. Fifty percent said McCain's positions were "about right," but 42 percent said he was "not conservative enough."

The exit polls showed the economy was the top concern among Wisconsin Republicans, as it has been in every primary and caucus this year. But McCain voters showed a different side -- by a narrow 35 percent to 33 percent, they were more concerned about the war in Iraq than the economy.

McCain voters made up 67 percent of those most concerned about Iraq, the polls showed, while Huckabee voters made up 36 percent of those most concerned about the economy. Fifty-nine percent of the Wisconsin GOP voters said the economy was either not good or poor.

The polls also showed that voters looking for experience tapped McCain, the four-term Arizona senator, while voters looking for a candidate that shares their values chose Huckabee.

Save and Share | Trackbacks(0) | Comments(0) | Email to a friend | Print version