As expected, Hillary is projected to be the winner in the Democrats' West Virginia primary by a wide margin.
Courtesy of USAToday and the Associated Press, here's a look at preliminary results from the West Virginia exit polls:
LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER
Barely a third of Clinton supporters say they'd vote for Obama over John McCain in a November matchup. As many claim they'd vote for Republican John McCain and a quarter said they would not vote for president. If that horse race were Clinton vs. McCain, half of Obama backers say they'd vote for Clinton, about three in 10 say they'd back McCain and the rest would stay home.
REV. WRIGHT FACTOR
Two in 10 voters said Barack Obama shares the views of his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "a lot." Another three in 10 said Obama shares Wright's views "somewhat."So those voters add up to about half of those surveyed.
Meanwhile, about one-quarter said Obama shares Wright's views "not much" and the final quarter said they don't think the candidate shares his former pastor's views at all.
That's also about half.
Two in 10 voters said Barack Obama shares the views of his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "a lot." Another three in 10 said Obama shares Wright's views "somewhat."
So those voters add up to about half of those surveyed.
Meanwhile, about one-quarter said Obama shares Wright's views "not much" and the final quarter said they don't think the candidate shares his former pastor's views at all.
That's also about half.
THE BILL CLINTON FACTOR
Three quarters of Hillary Rodham Clinton voters said Bill Clinton's campaigning was important to their vote. More than half of Barack Obama voters said the former president's campaigning was of little or no importance.
ECONOMIC WORRIES
More than six in 10 voters picked the economy from three choices as the most important issue facing the country. About one in five picked the Iraq war.Clinton voters were more likely than Obama backers to say the economy was hurting their families a lot. Half of Clinton voters said the current recession or economic slowdown has affected them and their families a great deal. About three in 10 Obama voters said the slowdown has affected them a great deal and more than half said it affected them somewhat.
RACE, GENDER AS VOTING FACTORS
One in four Clinton voters and about one in 10 Obama voters said race was an important factor in their vote.About one in five Clinton voters said gender was an important factor in their vote. Nearly as many Obama voters said that.
DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS
As expected, roughly 95 percent of West Virginia Democratic primary voters were white. Half of voters were from rural areas.It was one of the oldest electorates among 31 Democratic primaries with exit polls to date, with four in 10 over age 60. The only other states with somewhat similar numbers were Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma — and Hillary Clinton won all four states.
It also was the electorate with the highest proportion — just about seven in 10 — of people who lack a college degree thus far this primary season. The same held true for whites without a college degree — again, historically a strong Clinton group.
No Surprises here. Even Hillary's projected two to one victory doesn't change the likelihood that Obama will be the Democrats" nominee, as Tim Russert explains in the following video:
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