Trump wins broad support in Florida; Clinton again gets help from black voters

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Donald Trump claimed Florida, the biggest delegate haul of Tuesday night’s five Republican primary elections, by sweeping nearly all categories of voters – men and women, rich and poor, the highly educated and those without college degrees.

Trump’s attraction of Florida’s educated Republican voters notably broke from the trends seen in other states where Trump did better with white, less- educated voters.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton beat Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, largely thanks to widespread support from black voters.

According to early results of exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research, Clinton’s policies were seen as more realistic while voters in two states where Sanders was running strong found him more inspiring than the former secretary of state.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich won his home state by drawing Republican voters looking for an experienced candidate. He also attracted more moderate Republicans and those who have college degrees.

Other highlights from the exit polls:

TRUMP’S BIG FLORIDA WIN

Early exit polls in Florida indicate Trump won about half of whites and nearly 3 in 10 Hispanics. He also was backed by most voters without a college degree, and about 4 in 10 of those with a college diploma.

Most GOP voters in Florida are looking for a political outsider, and three-quarters voted for Trump. Four in 10 are angry with Washington, and 6 in 10 of them prefer Trump.

Trump was backed by nearly two-thirds of those who would like to see illegal immigrants deported; those who want to give undocumented workers a chance to apply for legal status divided their votes closely between the two.

CLINTON and BLACK VOTERS

In Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, Clinton was supported by about two-thirds of black voters, similar to her level of support among black voters in Michigan last week, where her margin among the key group was not enough to propel her to victory.

In Florida and North Carolina, about 8 in 10 black voters supported her, which is closer to her average margin in previous states. She also was supported by about 7 in 10 Hispanic voters in Florida.

REALISM VERSUS INSPIRATION

In each of the three early states Clinton won, more than three-quarters of voters said her policies are realistic, while only half of North Carolina and Florida primary voters said Sanders had realistic policies.

In Missouri and Illinois, two-thirds of voters say Sanders’ ideas are realistic. But even in Missouri and Illinois, voters were slightly more likely to call Clinton’s policies realistic, with more than 7 in 10 voters saying that.

But Sanders appeared to attract voters looking for inspiration.

More than half of Democratic primary voters in Illinois and Missouri say Sanders inspires them about the future of the country. In both states, about 4 in 10 said Clinton inspires them.

KASICH’S WIN AT HOME

In Ohio, Kasich was supported by three-quarters of those looking for a president with political experience.

The governor also drew moderates and those identified as somewhat conservative. Kasich’s supporters also were more likely to be college graduates, while Trump was the favorite of those without a college degree.

Kasich was supported by about 6 in 10 voters saying they most want a candidate who shares their values. And most voters who feel like they’re getting ahead financially supported Kasich.

For Trump, he was drawing voters who feel that they’re falling behind financially and those who say they want a candidate who can bring change.