The heart of the party

Obama and Clinton both received support from about four in 10 liberals, who comprised more than half of Democrats. Clinton only got a quarter of liberals’ backing in Iowa. Moderates, a somewhat smaller group among Democrats, split the same way. Romney had a slight edge over McCain among conservatives, who made up just over half of Tuesday’s Republican voters. But McCain bested him 44 per cent to 27 per cent among moderates.

Tell us how you really feel

Six in 10 Democrats said they are angry at the Bush administration. About one in seven Republicans said they feel the same way, and of that group, nearly four in 10 supported McCain and more than a quarter backed Ron Paul.

What they care about

Economy was the top issue among Democrats, mentioned by nearly four in 10 voters, and they went for Clinton. Iraq was mentioned next, a group Obama led, followed by healthcare, an issue Clinton has long emphasised, which Obama and Clinton split.

Economy also was the dominant Republican issue, named by about one-third of voters. McCain led that group with about four in 10 of their votes. Iraq, illegal immigration and terrorism were next. Romney led among voters most concerned about immigration, getting more than half their votes, while McCain did best with the other two issues.

Illegal immigrants

Half of Republicans said illegal immigrants should be deported, and this group leaned toward Romney. Those saying they should be allowed to apply for citizenship, or preferring that they be allowed to stay as temporary workers, gave McCain an edge.

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