A look at voter thinking in Tuesday's presidential election:
WHO VOTED HOW:
OVERALL: George W. Bush won solid majorities of men, whites and the
wealthy. Al Gore was winning among women, blacks, Hispanics and those
earning below $30,000.
FAMILIES: Bush was leading among voters who were married, particularly
those with children; Gore was doing better among those who were not married.
RELIGION: Bush was leading among Protestants, and Gore was leading among
Jews and those who did not identify with any religion. Bush and Gore were
splitting the Catholic vote. The more likely a voter was to attend religious
services, the more likely he or she was to vote for Bush.
PARTY: Bush and Gore each had overwhelming leads among Republicans and
Democrats, respectively. They were running even among independents, with a
small chunk of independent voters favoring Ralph Nader.
NOTABLE GROUPS:
LATE DECIDERS: Nearly one in five voters said they made up their minds in
the last week, and Gore had a solid lead with this group. Bush and Gore were
very close among voters who decided earlier.
MODERATES: About half of voters considered themselves politically moderate,
and they favored Gore. More voters called themselves conservative than
liberal; conservatives heavily favored Bush and liberals heavily favored
Gore.
UNIONS: About one in four voters came from a union household, and a solid
majority of them were supporting Gore.
CLINTON VOTERS: Gore was holding on to the vast majority of those who voted
for President Clinton in 1996, though Bush was doing better among Clinton
voters than Gore was doing among those who voted for Republican Bob Dole.
Bush also won the lion's share of those who supported Reform Party nominee
Ross Perot in 1996.
ISSUES AND QUALITIES:
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES: Bush was winning among voters who cared most about
world affairs and taxes. Gore was winning among voters who cared most about
Medicare/prescription drugs, Social Security, health care, economy/jobs and
education.
MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES: Bush was winning among voters who cared most
about a candidate being honest, a strong leader and having good judgment in
a crisis. Gore was winning those who cared most about someone who ``cares
about people like me,'' who has the right experience and who understands
complex issues.
ISSUES OR PERSONALITY?: A solid majority of voters said a candidate's
position on issues was more important to them than leadership and personal
qualities.
BUSH-DRUNKEN DRIVING: About one in four voters said the revelation last
week of Bush's 1976 arrest for drunken driving was very or somewhat
important to their vote. Those voters went overwhelmingly for Gore.
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