Doubts Bubble Beneath Broad Dole Victory : The Message Behind the Votes

Why did California primary voters vote the way they did? This exit poll by The Times provides a glimpse of the voters’ motivations. It is based on interviews with 3,469 primary voters, including 1,816 Republican voters, at 60 representative polling places across the state. The numbers given are percentages.

Why did you support your candidate?

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Dole Buchanan Other GOP voters voters voters I like him and his policies 59% 55% 47% He’s the best of a bad lot 38% 24% 28% To send a protest message 3% 21% 25%

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What did you like most about your candidate? (2 responses accepted; top 5 answers shown)

All GOP Voters

Has experience: 36%

Stands up for his convictions: 25%

Has strong qualities of leadership: 17%

I trust him more than the others: 17%

He’s a true conservative: 13%

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Which issues were most important to you in deciding how you would vote? (2 responses accepted; top 5 answers shown)

Balancing the budget/The deficit: 40%

Jobs/The economy: 33%

Taxes: 28%

Education: 21%

Crime: 12%

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Which of these things had a major influence on your vote today? (Multiple responses accepted; top 5 answers shown)

My candidate shares my values: 32%

Dole’s voting record as U.S. senator: 29%

Buchanan is too extreme: 20%

Buchanan’s position on foreign trade and U.S. jobs: 18%

My candidate will be the strongest in November: 17%

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Who did you think should be chosen as the Republican vice presidential running mate? (Top 5 answers shown)

Colin Powell: 36%

Jack Kemp: 9%

Pat Buchanan: 7%

Steve Forbes: 6%

Pete Wilson: 6%

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Regardless of whom you voted for today, do you think that whoever becomes the GOP nominee for president can beat Bill Clinton in California in November?

Yes: 59%

No: 41%

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Do you think things in California are generally:

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All Voters All GOP Voters Going in the right direction 47% 49% Seriously off on the wrong track 53% 51%

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Financially, are you better or worse off than you were four years ago?

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All Voters All GOP Voters Better off 31% 29% Worse off 29% 32% About the same 40% 39%

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If Clinton runs against Dole and Perot in November, whom would you vote for?

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All Voters All GOP Voters Probably Clinton 53% 21% Probably Dole 32% 60% Probably Perot 8% 10%

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Do you think Bob Dole is:

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All Voters All GOP Voters Too old to be president 44% 25% Not too old to be president 56% 75%

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Do you think abortion should be made illegal in all cases, except for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother?

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All Voters All GOP Voters Yes, made illegal with exceptions 30% 37% Yes, made illegal without exceptions 8% 10% No, not made illegal 62% 53%

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Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% where more than one response was accepted or not all answer categories are shown.

Source: Los Angeles Times exit poll conducted March 26

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HOW THE POLL WAS CONDUCTED: The Los Angeles Times Poll interviewed 3,469 primary voters, including 1,816 GOP primary voters, who cast ballots in the California primary as they exited 60 polling places across the state. Precincts were chosen based on the pattern of turnout in past primary elections. The survey was a self-administered, confidential questionnaire. The margin of sampling error for all primary voters and Republican primary voters is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For some subgroups the error margin may be somewhat higher. Fieldwork for this survey was conducted by Davis Research.