Exit Polls Show Why Dole Won Super Tuesday

(CNN, March 13) -- Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole swept the South on Super Tuesday by carrying the constituencies where he had previously been weakened, and consolidating his support on the right. That's the WORD from CNN exit polls in the six Southern states that held Republican presidential primaries Tuesday. The exit polls were conducted for CNN by Voter News Service.

The 'very conservative' vote

Dole continued to do well among Republican primary voters who describe themselves as very conservative -- a group he lost to Pat Buchanan earlier in the primary season. Dole also won handily among primary voters who call themselves members of the religious right, as well as those who support a GOP platform plank calling for a constitutional amendment to ban abortions.

The issues

As would be expected, Dole won among voters who agree with him on issues -- such as the majority who said that the United States should welcome immigrants. But he also won among those who disagree with his views -- such as the majority who said that trade with other countries costs U.S. jobs.

Dole appeared to be the choice of establishment Republicans and those who support the status quo. He handily won among Southern primary voters who said they trust the government in Washington to do what's right. He lost to Buchanan among voters who said they never trust the government.

Dole also won easily among the primary voters who think that the average American's standard of living will rise in the next few years. He won, but with a much smaller margin, among pessimistic voters who think that Americans' standard of living will fall.

Age and ethnicity

Dole continued to do particularly well among senior citizens. In Florida, people over 60 made up half of the Sunshine State's primary voters, and Dole had a large margin among that group. He also won handily among Cuban-Americans and other Hispanics in Florida. And he won a majority of the Mexican-Americans and other Hispanics in Texas.

Most Texas voters thought that the United States should welcome immigrants, and those voters went for Dole. Most Texas voters also believed that trade costs the country jobs, a point hammered by Buchanan; nonetheless, Dole won that group, too.

Come November

A bare majority of Buchanan voters in both Florida and Texas said they are very likely to vote for Dole in November.

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