OPEN TO ALL

The primaries in Ohio, Texas and Vermont were open to all voters, while in Rhode Island registered independents could choose which party’s primary to vote in. In Ohio and Texas, Republicans and self-described independents voting in the Democratic primary split between Clinton and Obama. In Vermont, independents went mostly for Obama, while they split about evenly between the two candidates in Rhode Island.

SUPERDELEGATES

Roughly six in 10 Democratic voters on Tuesday said “superdelegates”— party leaders and elected officials who get to cast votes at the party nominating convention this summer in Denver— should vote based on results of the primaries and caucuses rather than for the candidate they think has the best chance to win in November.

Even among Clinton’s voters, about half said the superdelegates should follow the results of the primaries and caucuses. Obama’s supporters were more likely to say so. Clinton is trailing in pledged delegates and, depending on how the remaining primaries go, it’s possible her only chance for the nomination is if many superdelegates support her at the Democratic convention.

FRETTING ABOUT THE ECONOMY

The economy was big in Ohio Democratic voters’ minds— 59 per cent said it is the most important issue facing the country, more than said so in any of the other 25 Democratic primaries with exit polls this year. Clinton won among those Ohio voters most concerned about the economy. More than half of Rhode Island Democrats and nearly as many in Texas picked the economy as the top issue out of three choices. In Vermont, almost as many voters picked Iraq as selected the economy— the first Democratic contest this year in which Iraq was considered about as important as the economy.

... contd.