Exit polls: Economy No. 1 issue again
Posted: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 7:00 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell and Adam Verdugo
Tonight, the economy is the No. 1 issue in each of the four states voting today. One of the key concerns is jobs, particularly in Ohio and Texas, where there has been a lot of talk about NAFTA with Canada and Mexico.
Both candidates have said they would use the threat of opting out of NAFTA if they become president and based on these numbers you can see why.
First in Ohio, a whopping eight in 10 Democratic primary voters feel international trade agreements take more jobs away than they create. Buckeye state Democrats are even more negative about NAFTA than they were four years ago when seven in 10 thought this. Also in Ohio, union voters, non-union voters, the young and the old are all down on NAFTA. An identical 81% of Clinton voters and Obama voters see trade agreements taking away jobs.
What about in Texas? One would expect voters to be much more positive about NAFTA compared to Ohio; however, even in Texas, those critical of trade agreements significantly outnumber those who see the pacts providing a net job gain. Six out of 10 say it hurts jobs, while only a quarter see job creation as the bigger net effect.