Exit polls: Obama holds onto his base, makes inroads in Clinton's
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(CNN) - In campaign contests so far, Barack Obama has polled the best among black, more wealthy and educated voters and college students, while rival Hillary Clinton has been able to count on women, low-income voters and blue-collar workers.
But in early exit polls tonight, Obama held Clinton to a virtual tie among Wisconsin Democratic primary voters who said they have a union member in their household - 50 percent for Clinton to 49 percent for Obama - and actually edged her among women, 51 percent to 49 percent.
Clinton held a narrow advantage over Obama among Catholic poll respondents - who made up 43 percent of voters interviewed - 51 percent to 48 percent. She also held narrow leads among voters with only a high school education, people 60 or older and those making between $15,000-$30,000 a year.
But Obama kept those margins close and took easy wins among his traditional base of supporters.
Among voters 49 years old and younger he had a significant 64-39 percent advantage over Clinton. College-educated voters, who made up 72 percent of those polled, favored him 59 percent to 39 percent.
Obama had a slight edge among voters who called themselves Democrats - 50 percent to 49 percent - but overwhelmingly topped Clinton among the 27 percent of respondents who called themselves independents, taking 63 percent of their votes to Clinton's 36 percent.
Exit polls: Fiscal-minded voters favored Obama
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(CNN) - Exit polls showed 43 percent of Democratic voters in Wisconsin said the economy was the most important issue in deciding their vote - followed by the war in Iraq at 29 percent and health care at 25 percent. Fifty-five percent of those who cited the economy voted for Obama, compared to 43 percent for Clinton.
And 70 percent said U.S. trade with other countries causes the loss of American jobs, while only 17 percent said it creates jobs, and 9 percent said it has no effect. Those who felt trade loses jobs also favored Obama, 54-43 percent.
Exit polls: Obama leads Clinton in Wisconsin
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CNN projects McCain wins Wisconsin GOP primary
Track the latest county-by-county results here.
Exit polls: A party divided?
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(CNN) - There’s a fault line running through Wisconsin’s Democratic primary voters in early exit polls Tuesday. Nearly 6 in 10 percent of voters who support Hillary Clinton said they would be satisfied if Barack Obama was the party’s nominee; 40 percent said they would not. But the reverse doesn’t hold true: a slim majority of Obama voters said they would not be satisfied if Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee.
Likely Republican nominee John McCain, who has struggled to win over his party’s conservative base, fares better in that respect than either of his potential fall opponents: among voters who backed Mike Huckabee in Wisconsin’s GOP primary, 65 percent – - said they’d be happy to support McCain in the fall.
–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
Clinton camp hits Obama again on copying
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(CNN) – A day after Sen. Barack Obama admitted to borrowing language from a speech by ally Deval Patrick, a second instance of Obama lifting language from a past speech by the Massachusetts governor has been identified.
“But you see, I am not asking anyone to take a chance on me. I am asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations,” Obama is quoted as saying in a November 6, 2007 USA Today article.
A little more than a month later, ABC News reported that he used the same line at a Portsmouth, New Hampshire campaign event, crediting Deval Patrick as the author: "But you know in the end, don’t vote your fears,” Obama was quoted as saying. “I’m stealing this line from my buddy (Massachusetts Gov.) Deval Patrick who stole a whole bunch of lines from me when he ran for the governorship, but it’s the right one, don’t vote your fears, vote your aspirations. Vote what you believe."
Patrick had used the line when he spoke at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in 2006, when he told the crowd: “Because I want you to understand, I am not asking anybody to take a chance on me. I’m asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations.”
A Boston Globe article in the spring of 2007 titled “Patrick, Obama campaigns share language of 'hope'” noted many similarities between their stump speeches, and said that the two men shared a “symbiotic friendship.”
Obama “is running on his powerful oratory and his promises,” Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday as he pointed out the similar turns of phrase. “Therefore, it is appropriate when the oratory comes form someone else to point that out and for questions to be raised about it.”
The Obama campaign did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the second instance of similar language identified Tuesday. In a statement to reporters, Bill Burton accused Clinton’s campaign of attempting to “fan the flames” around the allegations.
Related: Obama, Clinton camps point to borrowed rhetoric
–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart
Exit polls: Economy on minds of Wisconsin Dems
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(CNN) - Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama emphasized economic themes on the campaign trail Tuesday, echoing primary voters in Wisconsin who cited concerns about the economy, particularly trade, as heavy on their minds.
In early exit polling by CNN, 43 percent of Democratic voters said the economy was the most important issue in deciding their vote - followed by the war in Iraq at 29 percent and health care at 25 percent.
Exit polls: Wisconsin voters split on top issues in GOP primary
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BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin (CNN) - Wisconsin Republicans voting for front-runner John McCain were narrowly more concerned about the war in Iraq, unlike those who cast their ballots Tuesday for rival Mike Huckabee, who said the economy ranked higher on their minds, according to early exit polls.
Clinton: Democratic primary fight is 'speeches' vs. 'solutions'
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(CNN) - Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is planning to tell an Ohio audience tonight that the choice in the Democratic primary this year is between someone in the “speeches business” and someone in the “solutions business.”
"This is the choice we face: One of us is ready to be commander-in-chief in a dangerous world,” she is planning to tell an audience in Youngstown, Ohio, according to excerpts of the speech provided by her campaign. “One of us has a plan to provide health care for every single American - no one left out… Finally, one of us has faced serious Republican opposition in the past. And one of us is ready to do it again.
"Both Sen. [Barack] Obama and I would make history. But only one of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief, ready to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the Republicans. Only one of us has spent 35 years being a doer, a fighter and a champion for those who need a voice. That is what I would bring to the White House. That is the choice in this election... It’s about picking a president who relies not just on words – but on work, hard work, to get America back to work. Someone who’s not just in the speeches business – but will get America back in the solutions business."
Clinton and Obama are locked in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
CNN=Politics Daily
(CNN)—As voting draws to a close in Wisconsin, Jessica Yellin takes an early look at how well the Democratic candidates’ dueling pitches worked in the latest installment of CNN=Politics Daily.
Republican John McCain, his party’s likely nominee, is still trying to shake underdog Mike Huckabee. CNN’s Dana Bash explores what Tuesday’s primaries mean for the Republicans.
Although the Clinton and Obama campaigns deny plans to woo pledged delegates earned through primary and caucus votes, it’s a sign of just how tight the Democratic race has become that the question is even on the table. Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider reveals where the Democratic race may be headed - and when the Republicans may reach the finish line.
Meanwhile, Tuesday marked a historic day around the world as people woke up to the news of Fidel Castro’s resignation after nearly half-century of iron fisted rule. Ten U.S. presidents have dealt with Castro’s Cuba – now White House hopefuls are facing an uncertain new era in U.S.-Cuba relations. CNN’s Brian Todd covers the candidates’ reactions to the end of the Castro Regime.
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–CNN’s Emily Sherman
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