Voters focused on immigration in Super Tuesday’s Republican primaries, exit polls show

Stickers are pictured during the Super Tuesday primary election at the Library of the Canyons in Silverado, California, U.S. March 5, 2024. REUTERS/David Swanson

Voters in Republican presidential primary contests in North Carolina, Virginia and California appeared particularly focused on immigration, according to the results of exit polls conducted on Tuesday by Edison Research.

Following are figures from the polls:

* 41% of North Carolina voters said immigration mattered most when deciding how they would vote in the contest, compared to 33% who said the economy mattered most. 11% cited abortion policy and 10% said foreign policy.

* In Virginia, immigration was also the top concern, while in California, voters were slightly more likely to say the economy mattered most, with immigration cited nearly as often.

* 62% of voters in North Carolina’s Republican primary don’t think President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was legitimately elected, compared to 50% in Virginia and 57% in California.

* 65% of North Carolina voters said that if Republican former President Donald Trump were convicted of a crime, he would still be fit for the presidency, while 31% said he would not be fit. In Virginia, 55% said he would be fit, while in California, 68% said he would be fit.

* In North Carolina, 63% thought immigrants without legal status should be deported and 33% said they should be able to apply for legal status. In Virginia, 61% said they should be deported, while in California, 69% said they should be deported.

* 22% of Republican primary voters in North Carolina consider themselves moderate or liberal, compared to 33% in Virginia and 32% in California.

* 44% of voters in North Carolina had a college degree, compared to 52% in Virginia and 42% in California.

* 34% of North Carolina’s Republican primary voters usually think of themselves as independents, compared to 30% in Virginia and 32% in California.

* White people who consider themselves evangelical or born-again Christians made up 53% of North Carolina’s voters, compared to 39% in Virginia and 22% in California.