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VoteCast: Calls for change divide voters in two swing states

Associated Press | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 6 months AGO
by Associated Press
| March 3, 2020 3:05 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press is surveying voters in eight of the 14 states holding Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday. Here’s a snapshot of voters in Alabama, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Virginia — who they are and what matters to them — based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

ALABAMA

A majority of Alabama’s Democratic primary voters are African American. Voters overall give former Vice President Joe Biden an edge over other candidates as the one best able to handle issues related to race.

In Alabama, voters were closely divided over whether they wanted a candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington or one who would restore the political system to how it was before Donald Trump was elected in 2016. But they showed a slight preference for a candidate who will pursue practical, centrist policies to one pursuing bold liberal policies.

Voters in Alabama are mostly confident that the process for selecting a presidential nominee is fair. Though just about 3 in 10 say they are very confident, only about a quarter have little to no confidence.

MASSACHUSETTS

Voters in Massachusetts ranked both health care and climate change as the most important issues facing the country.

Close to 6 in 10 voters said they wanted a candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington, while fewer said they would prefer to restore the political system to how it was before Trump was elected.

But it was clear that change in Washington doesn’t look the same to everyone. A majority said they preferred a candidate who will pursue practical, centrist policies to one pursuing bold liberal policies.

NORTH CAROLINA

Democratic voters in North Carolina — a general election battleground — were closely divided over whether they wanted a candidate who would transform Washington rather than return it to the way it was before Trump took office.

But an overwhelming share -- close to 9 in 10 -- did say it’s very important that a nominee is able to defeat Trump in November. About as many considered strong leadership highly important.

A wide majority say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump in the general election. Still, about 2 in 10 say their decision will depend on which Democrat is on the ballot in November, a share that might matter in the context of a competitive general election.

VIRGINIA

About 4 in 10 voters in Virginia, another November battleground, said they made a late decision about who to vote for in the primary.

Health care stood out to about a third of voters in Virginia’s Democratic primary as the top issue facing the nation. Roughly 2 in 10 each had climate change and the economy on their minds.

Roughly a third of voters in Virginia said they were behind a public option health insurance plan, but not “Medicare for All.” About half of voters favored both proposals.

____

AP VoteCast is a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News. The surveys were conducted for seven days, concluding as polls closed.

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