Exit polls: Black voters in NC overwhelmingly support Obama

RALEIGH (AP) — Once again, Hillary Rodham Clinton beat Barack Obama among white voters in a Southern state. And, once again, it made no difference.

Throughout his campaign, Obama has focused on trying to rise above racial politics to build a coalition of support among Democratic voters. But numbers collected in exit polls in North
Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary cannot be ignored.

Nine in every 10 black voters cast their ballot for Obama, overcoming Clinton’s slimmer advantage among white voters, which she won by a nearly 2-1 margin.

While he fell short with whites, Obama attracted voters overall on three critical issues: the economy, war in Iraq and health care.

Obama also captured all age groups except voters over 65, nearly six out of 10 of whom supported Clinton. He also built a coalition in North Carolina: Poorer, less-educated voters favored Obama, as did more affluent voters with college degrees.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)