Exit polls: Bush, Gore win broad-based support in Colorado, Utah

By Judith Kohler, Associated Press, 03/10/00

DENVER -- George W. Bush swept nearly every voter group in overwhelmingly conservative Colorado and Utah Republican electorates Friday, although half of self-described independents preferred John McCain, who's no longer running, or Alan Keyes, exit polls found.

COLORADO RESULTS
Democrats
2,627 of 2,627 of precincts reporting
Gore 71%
Bradley 23%
Uncomm. 4%
LaRouche 1%
Republicans
2,627 of 2,627 of precincts reporting
Bush 65%
McCain 27%
Keyes 7%
Forbes 1%
Bauer 1%
Hatch 0%
Percentages will not necessarily add to 100.

UTAH RESULTS
Democrats
952 of 953 precincts reporting
Gore 81%
Bradley 19%
Republicans
952 of 953 of precincts reporting
Bush 63%
Keyes 20%
McCain 15%
Forbes 1%
Bauer 0%
Percentages will not necessarily add to 100.

WYOMING RESULTS
Republicans
22 of 22 precincts reporting
Bush 78%
Keyes 12%
McCain 10%
One precinct did not hold straw poll. Percentages will not necessarily add to 100.

MORE COVERAGE
* No surprise: Bush, Gore romp in Western primaries

WHAT'S NEXT
Arizona holds its Democratic primary on Saturday, March 11. That event is notable as the first in which voting over the Internet has ever been allowed. Also Saturday, Democrats in Michigan and Minnesota will hold caucuses. On Sunday, March 12, Nevada Democrats will hold caucuses. [ Full schedule ]

   

In Colorado's Democratic presidential primary, about the only group Vice President Al Gore did not win convincingly was the four in 10 voters who view President Clinton unfavorably as a person. Gore split them with Bill Bradley, who also dropped his presidential bid this week.

Bush and Gore easily won voters across age, income and philosophical brackets in their respective parties in Colorado and Utah, according to Voter News Service exit polls for The Associated Press and television networks.

In Colorado, Bush and Gore even won majorities of voters who had favorable opinions of their opponents.

"Bush seems pretty sure of himself and what he wants to accomplish," said Nancy Wright, 39, an office manager from Englewood, Colo., and a Republican who voted for Bush. She also had nice things to say about McCain, agreeing he helped make the race "lively."

Two-thirds of GOP primary voters in both states called themselves conservative, bigger shares than in any other Republican contest with exit polls this year except the Iowa caucuses. Strong conservatives typically are reliable voters even in largely uncontested elections like those Friday.

Three in 10 Colorado GOP voters said they were part of the religious right, and two-thirds had a favorable opinion of the movement, which has stronghold in Colorado Springs. Among those who viewed the religious right unfavorably, four in 10 supported McCain, who had criticized some Christian conservative political leaders.

Nearly all Utah GOP primary voters were Mormon and half said moral values was the most important issue in their vote. A third said that in the Colorado GOP primary.

Bush won about half of self-described independents in both states. That was a larger proportion than in earlier primaries when majorities of independents favored McCain, who ended his campaign Thursday, essentially conceding the nomination to Bush. In Colorado, a third of independents backed McCain; in Utah, nearly a third went to Keyes.

Six in 10 McCain voters in Colorado and four in 10 in Utah said they would consider voting for a third-party candidate in November rather than Bush or Gore.

Slightly more than half of Colorado GOP primary voters said gun rights were more important than reducing gun violence -- a polarizing issue in the state after last year's Columbine High School massacre.

The Republican findings were from Voter News Service interviews with 839 GOP primary voters in Colorado and 437 in Utah. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points in Colorado and 6 points in Utah, larger for subgroups.

The Colorado Democratic poll interviewed 356 voters and carried an error margin of plus or minus 7 points. Because of low turnout in Utah -- the nation's most Republican state -- the Democratic exit poll sample there was too small to be statistically reliable.