Donald Trump won wide support in Florida across income and education levels, claiming the biggest prize of Tuesday night’s five Republican primary elections and ending the presidential hopes of Sen. Marco Rubio in his home state, according to early exit-poll results.
Trump’s attraction of Florida’s educated Republican voters broke from the trends seen in his earlier wins.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, largely thanks to widespread support from black voters.
On the GOP side in Ohio, Gov. John Kasich won his home state by drawing Republican voters looking for an experienced candidate. He also attracted more moderate Republicans and those who have college degrees.
Highlights from the exit polls:
• TRUMP’S BIG FLORIDA WIN
Exit polls in Florida indicate Trump won about half of whites and nearly 3 in 10 Latinos. He was also backed by most voters without a college degree, and about 4 in 10 of those with a college diploma.
Most GOP voters in Florida are looking for a political outsider and three-quarters voted for Trump. Four in 10 are angry with Washington and 6 in 10 of them prefer Trump.
Trump was backed by nearly two-thirds of those who would like to see immigrants who are in the country illegally deported; those who want to give undocumented workers a chance to apply for legal status divided their votes closely between the two.
• BLACK VOTERS SUPPORT CLINTON
In Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, Clinton was supported by about two-thirds of black voters, similar to her level of support among black voters in Michigan last week, where her margin among the key group was not enough to propel her to victory.
In Florida and North Carolina, about 8 in 10 black voters supported her, which is closer to her average margin in previous states. She also was supported by about 7 in 10 Latino voters in Florida.
• KASICH’S WIN AT HOME
In Ohio, Kasich was supported by three quarters of those looking for a president with political experience.
The governor also drew moderates and those identified as somewhat conservative. Kasich’s supporters were also more likely to be college graduates, while Trump was the favorite of those without a college degree.
Kasich was supported by about 6 in 10 voters saying they most want a candidate who shares their values. And most voters who feel like they’re getting ahead financially supported Kasich.
For Trump, he was drawing voters who feel like they’re falling behind financially and those who say they want a candidate who can bring change. About 8 in 10 of those wanting a candidate who “tells it like it is” also supported Trump.
• LATE DECIDERS
About 4 in 10 Republicans in Illinois and Missouri decided on their vote choice in the last week, along with a third in Ohio. Nearly 3 in 10 Republicans in Florida and North Carolina primaries made their decision in the last week.
As seen in earlier primaries, voters who made up the minds close to the primary were less inclined to support Trump.
