(CNN) — Hillary Clinton has made her vast experience a central theme of her campaign – and among those voters who said that was the top quality they were looking for in a presidential candidate, she was the undisputed choice in tonight’s exit polls: they chose her over Barack Obama by 93 to 7 percent in South Dakota, and 94 to 4 percent in Montana.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, has built his run around the need for change – and won large majorities of voters who said that was the most important quality in a potential commander-in-chief, beating Clinton by 67 to 33 percent among those voters in South Dakota, and 79 to 17 percent in Montana.

But even though they split tonight’s contests, it’s clear the advantage in this area was Obama’s: one in five voters in both states said experience was of paramount importance, but half of South Dakota’s voters, and 55 percent of Montana’s, said the ability to bring about change was essential in a candidate.

In Montana, voters who said having a president who cares about people was their priority split their votes almost evenly between the two candidates: Clinton had a 47 to 43 percent edge. But in South Dakota, which Clinton won, a significant majority of those voters – 60 percent – gave her the edge.

Former President Bill Clinton spent a lot of time in the state in the days leading up to Tuesday’s vote telling voters that his wife “cares about people like you.” It looks like that message sunk in.

(CNN) – South Dakota may have gone solidly for Hillary Clinton – but there’s a clue buried in the exit polls that suggests the healing process in the Democratic Party may already be underway.

A significant majority of voters – roughly seven in 10 – said both Democratic candidates were honest and trustworthy. It’s the final night of the primary season – but the first time that has happened since voting began in Iowa five months ago.

It may also be one sign that primary voters who did not support Barack Obama the first time around may be willing to believe the best about the Illinois senator heading into November.

55 percent of South Dakota democrats would like to see Clinton as Obama’s running mate.

(CNN) – The hard-fought Democratic primary race is winding down, but the veepstakes are just starting to heat up. Do voters in the year’s final contests think Barack Obama – just a handful of delegates away from claiming the party’s presidential nomination – should pick rival Hillary Clinton as his running mate?

South Dakota’s Democrats seem to like the idea; according to early exit polls, 55 of them think Clinton should be on the ticket this fall, while 41 percent do not.

But the state’s Obama voters give the idea a thumbs-down: 56 percent say Obama should not offer Clinton the vice presidential slot, versus 40 percent that do.

Montana’s Democratic primary voters are more divided: nearly half, 49 percent, think Clinton should join Obama on a joint ticket – but 45 percent do not.

Voters in the last two states, Montana and South Dakota, wrapped up the grueling coast-to-coast Democratic nominating marathon.

(CNN) — Two very white, working-class Western states. But look closer: there are some very real differences between the two sets of Democratic primary voters in tonight’s final primary contests.

South Dakota’s primary was closed, only registered Democrats were allowed to weigh in. But roughly one in three primary voters in Montana are independent – and that group is heavily supporting Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton may have had an easier time winning over the party’s base — but Obama’s campaign will be counting on his ability to go toe-to-toe with John McCain over independent voters

(CNN) – The youngest and oldest voters in South Dakota’s Democratic primary overwhelmingly support their candidate – but as in many contests this primary season, both groups have landed on opposite sides of the Democratic divide, according to early exit polls.

The youngest voters, those aged 18-29, supported Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, 65 to 35 percent. Voters 65 and older had the exact same level of support for Clinton, voting for her 65-35 percent over Obama.

It’s a problem that’s plagued Obama all year: how to make his case to seniors, who have been critical to Democratic presidential hopes in past campaigns. Can he win them over by November?

It is still not clear whether Clinton supporters are likely to throw their support to Obama.

(CNN) — Will angry Hillary Clinton supporters take their disappointment out at the polls this November by voting for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain over Barack Obama, or staying home altogether?

Roughly three out of five Clinton’s South Dakota supporters said they’d vote for Obama this fall, in early exit polls. Sixteen percent said they’d vote for McCain; roughly the same number, 17 percent, said they’d stay home altogether.

Among all Democratic primary voters in South Dakota, 55 percent said the party had been energized by the long primary season; 39 percent said it had had the opposite effect.

The tough primary slog may have taken a toll on party unity – is it temporary, or will it cost Democrats dearly this fall? Time will tell.

UPDATE: One more quick note: Clinton’s Montana voters were even more leery of Obama — one in four said they’d vote for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain this fall. And just over half in both states said they were not pleased with the party’s evident presidential pick.

Obama has his work cut out for him – and the level of Hillary Clinton’s support for him will be the big variable in this election-year equation.

(CNN) – Why did Barack Obama do so much better among white women in Indiana? He won two out of five, after winning fewer than a third of that group in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Could it be that Hillary Clinton’s increasingly tough persona – the ‘Annie Oakley’ factor, as Barack Obama dubbed it – is costing her among the women voters who have been her base throughout the primary season?

(CNN) – Who you backed in Indiana seems to have been based, to some extent, on your birthday – a fact that’s working in Hillary Clinton’s favor.

Voters in most age groups were almost evenly split – except for the youngest and oldest voters.

Sixty-three percent of voters under age 24 backed Barack Obama. But twice as many seniors went to the polls – and 72 percent of them voted for Clinton.

In North Carolina, Obama won young voters 70 to 28 percent, and lost the senior vote to Clinton – but her advantage, though still significant, came by a slightly smaller margin: 57 to 39 percent. Limiting his losses among older voters was a big factor in his win.

(CNN) – Gender gap? What gender gap?

Indiana’s Democratic primary vote was not dramatically divided along gender lines. Men split their votes almost evenly between Clinton and Obama, 51 to 49 percent. Women still gave the edge to Hillary Clinton – but by only six points, 53 to 47 percent.

There was little sign of a split between the sexes in North Carolina either: 57 percent of the state’s men cast their votes for Barack Obama – but so did 54 percent of women voters.

(CNN) — Even in a loss, last-minute deciders keep going Hillary Clinton’s way: in North Carolina, Barack Obama had the edge among voters who made their primary pick within the last month, or even earlier. But those who made their decision on their way to the polls again went for Clinton, 55 to 42 percent.

In Indiana, she added early deciders to the mix: voters in nearly every category there gave the advantage to the New York senator.

Schneider: Obama got 36 percent of white voters in North Carolina's Democratic primary.

(CNN) — In this clip, Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider explains the racial break-down of North Carolina voters who supported Sen. Barack Obama in Tuesday's primary.

(CNN) – How did Obama do it? His overwhelming support among black voters in North Carolina certainly gave him a major edge – although only one in three primary voters Tuesday night fell into that demographic.

But Obama won every age group except voters 60 and older – by more than 35 points among those younger than 45. And Clinton’s edge with seniors – she won voters 60 and older 54 to 43 percent – wasn’t high enough to compensate.

And remember that voter registration? Obama won those first-time voters, 62 to 28 percent. The results among first-time primary voters – a group that includes Independents and Republicans weighing in for the first time in a Democratic contest – show the party’s fears of GOP mischief seem to have been off the mark: that group supported Obama by an even greater margin, 68 to 26 percent.

A man votes in Wilmington, North Carolina.

(CNN) – It’s the mirror image of Barack Obama’s white working class voter problem – Hillary Clinton’s continuing troubles with black Democrats.

Obama pulled in 78 percent of the black vote in South Carolina’s January contest, 84 percent in Missouri’s February vote, 87 percent in Ohio’s March 4 primary and 90 percent in Pennsylvania last month.

Tuesday night, he pulled in 91 percent of North Carolina’s black primary voters, and 92 percent of Indiana’s, according to early exit polls – numbers that would pose a major challenge for any Democratic White House hopeful.

Voters cast their ballots in Indianapolis.

(CNN) — Barack Obama’s troubles with white working class voters continue to cost him dearly at the polls: Hillary Clinton captured the votes of two-thirds of Indiana voters who lack a college degree; the two split the white college-educated vote.

Clinton’s push for the gun vote seems to have paid off: half the state’s Democratic primary voters are gun owners, according to early exit polls, they supported Clinton over Obama, 61 to 39 percent.

(CNN) — As Barack Obama seems to be struggling with ‘bitter’ baggage, a ‘trust gap’ continues to dog Hillary Clinton – in Indiana, just 54 percent of Democratic primary voters said she was “honest and trustworthy” in early exit polls; 66 percent said Obama could be trusted. In North Carolina, just 47 percent of Democratic primary voters said Clinton was trustworthy, compared to 70 percent for Obama.

Watch Bill Schneider on Tuesday night's exit polling data.

(CNN) — Watch CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider break down exit polling data about whether supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton would support Sen. Barack Obama if he wins the Democratic nomination and vice versa.

Signs decorate the lawn in front of a polling station in Wilmington, North Carolina.

(CNN) — The core of Hillary Clinton’s argument to superdelegates has been her electability – that she is the candidate most likely to beat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in November. But according to exit polls, voters don’t share that view.

In Indiana, Democratic primary voters were equally split over who was most likely to beat McCain, with both drawing 48 percent. And in North Carolina, voters gave the edge to Barack Obama: 54 percent thought he was more likely to win in November, while 40 percent chose Clinton.

College graduates supported Obama in Pennsylvania's primary Tuesday.

(CNN) — While Clinton has won the state of Pennsylvania, it appears she won't win it by as wide a margin as she did Ohio.

One reason for this appears to be the fact that the Democratic electorate in Pennsylvania includes more college-educated voters — a voting bloc that has reliably supported Obama.

In Ohio, only 38 percent of Democratic voters had a college degree — in Pennsylvania, 46 percent did.

Bill Schneider responds to viewer comments Tuesday.

(CNN)— CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider was busy reporting exit polls for Tuesday night’s broadcast, and providing analysis for the Political Ticker – and he also took the time to respond to some of your comments here.

(CNN) — CNN just called the Pennsylvania primary race for Hillary Clinton. How did she win?

Her clear support from white voters and women. Both groups constituted large majorities in Tuesday's primary, and both voted for Clinton handily.

Whites made up over 80 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats. Clinton bested Obama among those voters by 20 points, 60 to 40 percent.

Women also constituted a clear majority of Pennsylvania primary voters – 56 percent. They voted for Clinton by a 12-point margin, 56 to 44 percent.

Another reason Clinton won? She beat Obama easily among late-deciders. Those voters who decided in the last three days went for the New York senator by a 15-point margin, 57 percent to 42 percent.