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Which Issues — and Voters — Shaped Super Tuesday Primary Results

Health care was the key concern in most states

By
Associated Press
 
Comments
Published March 04, 2020
A sign telling people to vote here
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Voters in 14 states made their picks for the Democratic presidential nominee this November. Former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner in 10 states while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won four.

Throughout the election season, the Associated Press is conducting surveys of how and why voters made their choices. The following are insights from eight of the states that had Democratic primaries on Super Tuesday, March 3, as determined by AP VoteCast surveys conducted for the Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Alabama

Who won: Biden

Top issues: Voters in Alabama's Democratic primary ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, well above climate change, the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues.

Key statistic: Support for Sanders from young voters under 30 was comparable to their support for Biden, a notable difference from most other states. Among voters age 45 and older, Biden had a significant advantage, about 7 in 10. About 1 in 10 of those age 45 and older went for Sanders and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who dropped out of the race Wednesday, a day after Super Tuesday.

California

Who won: Sanders

Top issues: Health care and climate change were the top two issues for people who voted in the California Democratic primaries.

Key statistic: Sanders continued to show strength among young voters, especially those under 30. Six in 10 of them supported the 78-year-old senator. Unlike in other states, Biden had only a slight lead among voters age 45 and older in California. About 3 in 10 supported Biden, while Sanders and Bloomberg each received support from about 2 in 10 voters.

Colorado

Who won: Sanders

Top issues: Voters in Colorado's Democratic primary ranked health care and climate change as the most important issues facing the country, well above the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues.

Key statistic: Close to half of voters under 45 supported Sanders, while older voters divvied up their support among several candidates. Bloomberg and Biden each received support from about a quarter of voters age 45 and older. Sanders received support from about 2 in 10 voters, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren received support from about 1 in 10.

Massachusetts

Who won: Biden

Top issues: Voters in Massachusetts ranked both health care and climate change as the most important issues facing the country.

Key statistic: Women in Massachusetts gave a clear advantage to Biden over Sanders and Warren, the home-state candidate and the only major female candidate left in the race. Men were about as likely to support Sanders as they were Biden.

Minnesota

Who won: Biden

Top issues: Minnesota voters were closely divided over whether they wanted a candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington or one who would restore the political system to how it was before 2016.

Key statistic: About half of Democratic primary voters in Minnesota say they made up their minds just days before casting their ballots, likely a result of Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar's departure from the race. Biden was aided significantly, with more than half of those voters supporting his candidacy.

North Carolina

Who won: Biden

Top issues: Roughly 4 in 10 voters in North Carolina said health care was the most important issue, followed by climate change and the economy.

Key statistic: About half of voters age 45 and older supported Biden, with close to 2 in 10 voting for Mike Bloomberg and 1 in 10 voting for Sanders. Sanders continued to show strength among young voters, especially those under 30. About half of them supported the Vermont senator.

Texas

Who won: Biden

Top issue: Voters in the Democratic primary in Texas had health care on their minds, with close to 4 in 10 saying it was the most important issue facing the country.

Key statistic: While Sanders continued to dominate voters under 30, Biden's edge over Sanders with older voters was cut somewhat by Bloomberg. About 40 percent of voters age 45 and older supported Biden, with roughly another quarter supporting Bloomberg and close to 20 percent voting for Sanders.

Virginia

Who won: Biden

Top issues: About a third of Virginia voters named health care as the top issue. Roughly 2 in 10 each had climate change and the economy on their minds.

Key statistic: Younger voters in Virginia were behind Bernie Sanders. About half of those under 30 supported the Vermont senator. But Biden won about two-thirds of voters age 45 and older, the majority of voters in the state.

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