Exit polls: Who was most negative?
Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 7:46 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
2008, Polls
From MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell and Adam Verdugo
In the final days of the fight for Pennsylvania, we saw the candidates level some of their harshest criticisms yet. Obama painted his rival as a compromised Washington insider, while Clinton charged that Obama's new tactics showed he was just another old-style politician. She also unveiled ads calling into question his readiness to deal with threats like Osama bin Laden. So how did all these negative attacks play in Pennsylvania?
The exit polls show that Democratic voters think Clinton went too far. In fact, two-thirds say she attacked unfairly, while only 49% said that about Obama. This is the highest we've seen these negative numbers since South Carolina, when the issue of race first became a flashpoint.
When you take a look at the breakdown by race and gender: 77% percent of black voters think Hillary Clinton attacked her opponent, while only about half as many -- 37% -- feel the same way about Barack Obama. White women voters don't give either candidate a pass: 64% think Clinton crossed the line while 53% think Obama went too far.
And lastly, both candidates took their attacks to the airwaves. How did six full weeks of ads aimed at Pennsylvania voters effect their decisions? Just over half say the ads were either very important or somewhat important. Remember, Obama spent an enormous amount of money on TV in the Keystone State. He outspent Clinton 3 to 1 in the run-up to this primary.
