Santorum Struggles With Female Voters In Ohio Primary, Exit Polls Show

ABCNews ^ | March 06, 2012 | Gary Langer

[Steelfish]

Santorum Struggles With Female Voters In Ohio Primary, Exit Polls Show By Gary Langer | ABC News

A diverse mix of voters in Ohio helped shape today's headline Super Tuesday contest, with results that highlighted tensions evident in the Republican race all year: Mitt Romney leaning on his standing as the most electable candidate, Rick Santorum honing his appeal to conservatives and more religious voters, and leading Romney as the candidate of the common man and woman.

In other states, where the electorate was more homogenous - either much more conservative, as in Oklahoma, or much less so, as in Massachusetts and Vermont - the story was a different one. Ohio's demographic and attitudinal diversity earned its battleground reputation.

As elsewhere, electability worked best for Romney. Fifty-one percent of Ohio voters saw him as the candidate best able to defeat Barack Obama in November - and seven in 10 of them voted for him. In another measure, 42 percent called electability the single most important candidate attribute in their vote - and Romney won more than half of their number, vs. just 27 percent for Santorum.

However, a combined total of 38 percent in Ohio instead said they were looking chiefly for someone with strong moral character, or for a true conservative - and in these groups combined, 55 percent voted for Santorum, just 16 percent for Romney.

And notably, Santorum beat Romney as the candidate who "best understands the problems of average Americans," 33-22 percent. Nearly as many picked Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, 18 and 17 percent, respectively, as selected Romney on empathy.

[mylife]

I just want somebody to turn this economy around, reduce the debt, defend our interests and get out of the way.

[entropy12]

I just want somebody to turn this economy around, reduce the debt, defend our interests and get out of the way.

That works for me too.

[ModelBreaker]

“I just want somebody to turn this economy around, reduce the debt, defend our interests and get out of the way.”

Repealing Obamacare needs to be somewhere in that package. So long as the Dept HHS has almost infinite discretion to gin up orders controlling 1/6th of the American economy, the monster will never get out of anyone’s way, the debt will not be reduced and the economy will not turn around. I know that’s awkward for the Mitt supporters. But Obamacare needs to go. And Mitt will not even try.

[LonelyCon]

Really, that’s all you want while abortionists, homo “marriage” backers and global warming/enviro nutjobs all try to ruin this country? I want everything you want and more. There’s more to life than money.

[mylife]

I consider that part of turning the economy around.

[entropy12]

Obama is worse than an abortionist. He actually sponsored a bill in Illinois legislature to allow the abortionist to kill the aborted fetus if it was still alive outside the mother’s body. That to me is murder clear and simple based on any of our existing murder laws.

[newzjunkey]

No surprise.

His history as a senator from PA shows he's struggled with woman all along even when he won reelection 'easily' in 2000. The gender gap was a great part of his ultimate 18-point undoing in 2006 when women went Democrat by 61%.

[newzjunkey]

Only Newt seems to be articulating that point against Obama.

[mylife]

I think Santorum is making a huge mistake as a general election candidate by running as the Pope.

None of the matters you mention are Gov matters.
Newt knows that.
Santorum has let this contraception thing be framed in a way that makes it look like The Reps will ban contraception.(I know its ridiculous)

What its about is stopping the Feds from imposing on matters that are not within their jurisdiction.

[WOSG]

NOTE THE NEGATIVE TONE.

Why not “Romney leads with women” or “Rick Santorum honing his appeal to conservatives and more religious voters”?

THis is all about the media trying to stir up more and more negativity for the GOP candidates.

[ltc8k6]

Romney must be struggling with women too, since he’s pretty much tied with Santorum in OH.

Heck, Santorum took most of Ohio, county-wise.

http://news.yahoo.com/elections/map/

[LeopoldvonRanke]

Newt got 15 percent in Ohio. I’m sorry, but he’s done.

Finished third in Tennessee and in Oklahoma. Not to mention North Dakota.

That’s 7 states of which Newt has 2, one being his home state.

Newt has cost Santorum WA, MI and now, OH, more states than he has delivered.

He’s a liability.

[Girlene]

lol, you think? I love all the cherrypicking of the exit polls, especially in Ohio. There’s a lot of information in those polls, but the MSM and others are using it to, as you say, stir up the negativity.

[true believer forever]

Rick cost Newt Florida - which could have broadsided Romney in a major way. It was also an opportunity for THE principled conservative to take a principled stand against candidates who seek to “destroy” their opponents, rather than compete with them on the basis of ideas.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Newt dropping out, would not change much at all. Most of his votes would go to Romney or Paul. It's a statistical fact.

Santorum can't win. Due to his poor organization and planning, he can't win enough delegates to secure the nomination. He can do well in the Popular vote, but he will lose there also. His label as a divisive fringe candidate just won't work for him.

Newt is not gaining any traction either, but he is determined to stay in, because he is helping to slow Romney down. You seem to forget that Ron Paul is still in the race. And in VA, without Newt or Santorum, you would think that many voters had every opportunity to stop Romney. But they didn’t. Romney easily won. It appears that at least half of the votes from Newt and santo went to Romney.

I know you are looking for someone to blame in all of this, so start with yourself, for dropping Newt and jumping into a candidate who can't win the nomination or the General, like Santorum.

[lonestar]

I just want somebody to turn this economy around, reduce the debt, defend our interests and get out of the way.

I agree... and don't see that being Santorum's priorities.

[LeopoldvonRanke]

“Newt dropping out, would not change much at all. Most of his votes would go to Romney or Paul. It’s a statistical fact.”

Which is why the facts show that in the head to head - Santorum dominates Romney. The inverse is not true.

“Santorum can’t win.”

Sure he can. He can carry the South as today’s win in Tennessee showed, and he can carry the midwest.

“he can’t win enough delegates to secure the nomination.”

If that’s the case then Romney is the republican nominee. This is not so. Santorum can win enough delegates in the head to head vs Romney to win the nomination.

Newt - cannot. He can’t win anything from here on outside of GA.

“His label as a divisive fringe candidate just won’t work for him.”

So you believe that social conservatives are ‘divisive’ and ‘fringe’. This is why he’s ahead of Gingrich in both the popular vote and the delegates, even with Gingrich having his home state.

“because he is helping to slow Romney down”

No, he’s not. I’m sorry. He’s throwing delegates to Romney. He’s cost Santorum 4 states, (AK, OH, MI and WA).

“You seem to forget that Ron Paul is still in the race.”

So you are saying that Gingrich is a no-hoper like Ron Paul? Good to know.

Ron Paul is doing what Gingrich isn’t - Ron Paul has actually won delegates in Romney heavy states. Newt - has not.

“for dropping Newt”

I never was for Newt. I was for Cain - and then Santorum. Hey, what can I say. I’m supporting the Anti-Romney who has the best chance of winning the nomination.

[LeopoldvonRanke]

Even with every single Santorum vote - it wasn’t close.

Newt would still have gotten blown out in Florida.

Newt ran a terrible campaign there - which is why he’s fallen out of the race.

[true believer forever]

Newt ran a terrible campaign there - which is why he’s fallen out of the race.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. And I have personally made a resolution as of today to no longer spend time talking with Sanctimonium supporters who have permanently blocked the intelligent discourse core of their personality.

You don't have the courage or intellectual honesty to read or confront the following, but I am posting it to you anyway... Santorum is a crude politician. He is the repulican's Barack Obama... you either see that or you don't.

If you can rationalize the following, you can rationalize anything... including voting for a sanctimonious prig who is corrupt and manipulative. NEXT CASE.