Story Created:
Nov 4, 2008 at 7:59 PM EST
Story Updated:
Nov 5, 2008 at 2:28 AM EST
The following findings are from an exit poll of voters in Indiana's general election for the National Election Pool — The Associated Press, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC — by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
INDIANA-PRESIDENCY: Tuesday's exit poll results showed a tight race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain — a contest which Obama narrowly won, according to AP vote estimates.
TOP ISSUES: By a large margin, Indiana voters said the nation's troubled economy was the top issue facing the country. More than half of Indiana voters said they disapprove of the war in Iraq.
McCAIN'S STRENGTHS: McCain fared well with conservatives, voters who said they were worried about terrorism and the nation's energy policy and those who believed the Arizona senator would pursue policies different from President Bush.
McCain also attracted a majority of the votes of seniors, white evangelical Christians, voters with family incomes of $75,000 to $149,999, and voters who said they either "strongly approve" or "somewhat approve" of the war in Iraq.
OBAMA'S STRENGTHS: Obama drew strong support from blacks, first-time voters, young voters and voters who said they were worried about the nation's economy, the war in Iraq and the nation's health care system.
The Illinois senator also was favored by voters who said they were looking for a candidate who "cares about people like me" and those who wanted a president who "can bring about needed change." Obama also was strongly favored by liberals and slightly favored by moderates.
McCAIN-BUSH: A slight majority of Indiana voters said that if McCain were elected he would continue President Bush's policies.
RACE: Obama is the first black presidential candidate for a major party, but a strong majority of Indiana voters said the candidates' race was not a factor in how they voted Tuesday.
BUSH'S JOB APPROVAL: A strong majority of Indiana voters said they disapproved of President Bush's job performance. The president's approval rating among Indiana voters this election was far lower than in 2004.
TICKET-SPLITTERS: Indiana voters who elected Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to a second term Tuesday continued their habit of splitting tickets. About a quarter of those who voted for Daniels also voted for Obama.
REPUBLICANS: More than a third of Indiana voters said they considered themselves Republicans, and a strong majority of them said they voted for McCain. But the percentage of self-described Republican voters supporting McCain was smaller than those who voted for President Bush in 2004.
INDEPENDENTS: About a fifth of Indiana voters described themselves as Independents, and they favored Obama over McCain by a significant margin. In 2004, about half of all self-described Independents voted for Bush.
The exit poll of 2,422 Indiana voters was conducted for AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International in a random sample of 45 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, higher for subgroups.
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Methodology details: http://surveys.ap.org/exitpolls/