Michigan voters had reservations about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and concerns about the economy during the election Tuesday. Here’s a look at preliminary results from exit polling conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research in Michigan.
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UNPOPULAR CANDIDATES
Nearly half of Michigan voters said they voted for someone they strongly supported. The others were divided about evenly between those who liked their candidate with reservations and those motivated primarily by dislike for the opposition.
Voters had reservations about both candidates, with majorities rating both as unfavorable and describing both as dishonest. Majorities also said they were bothered by Clinton’s use of private email while secretary of state and Trump’s treatment of women.
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POCKETBOOK CONCERNS
The economy weighed heavily on the minds of Michigan voters, with half describing it as the most important issue. Smaller groups picked terrorism, immigration and foreign policy.
About six in 10 described the nation’s economy as “not so good” or poor. Roughly one-quarter of the state’s voters said their family’s financial situation and the local job outlook had worsened over the past four years, with the others divided evenly between those saying things were better and those saying they were about the same.
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HUNGER FOR CHANGE
Nearly four in 10 voters said the most important quality in the next president was the ability to bring about needed change. Smaller numbers picked the right experience, good judgment or “cares about people like me.”
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EDUCATION AND INCOME
Trump was backed by voters without a college degree, while college graduates favored Clinton.
A majority of voters with annual incomes below $50,000 supported Clinton, while Trump was the choice of most voters making more money.
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EARLY DECIDERS
Despite all the debates, advertising and other twists and turns in recent months, about six in 10 Michigan voters said they decided whom to vote for before September. About one in 10 said they’d made up their minds in the last few days.
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IS THERE HOPE?
Michigan voters were sharply divided over whether life will be better for the next generation of Americans. Nearly three in 10 predicted things would go downhill, and a similar number said things would get better or remain about the same.
Two-thirds said the economy is stacked in favor of the wealthy.
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OBAMA POPULAR, BUT NOT THE GOVERNMENT
A majority of Michigan voters voiced approval of Barack Obama’s performance as president, but about four in 10 said the next president should be more conservative. About seven in 10 voters described themselves as dissatisfied or angry about how the federal government is working.
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HEALTH AND TRADE
About four in 10 Michigan voters said the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare went too far. Smaller numbers said it didn’t go far enough or was about right.
About half of the voters said trade with other countries takes away U.S. jobs, while smaller groups said it creates jobs or has no effect.
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RACE AND IMMIGRATION
A majority said immigrants help the nation, while about one-third said they cause harm. About two-thirds said immigrants living and working illegally in the U.S. should be offered a chance to apply for legal status instead of being deported.
About four in 10 said whites generally are favored in the U.S., while about half as many said racial minorities are favored. About half said the criminal justice system treats all group fairly, while about four in 10 said it’s unfair to blacks.
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The survey of 2,812 Michigan voters was conducted for AP and the television networks by Edison Research. Voters were interviewed as they left a random sample of 45 precincts statewide Tuesday. Telephone interviews were conducted with 480 who voted early or absentee. Results for the full sample were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.
