Pennsylvania voters said democracy was the most important issue for them in this election, along with the economy and abortion.
CNN’s exit poll in the battleground state showed 64 percent of voters wanted abortion to be legal, while 36 percent said it should be illegal. Overall, 15 percent ranked abortion as their top issue.
Fracking, a key issue in the state, received 55 percent of voter support, compared to 36 percent for the Republican candidate. Most supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris opposed the divisive energy extraction method despite the vice president changing her stance to favor it during her campaign.
A third of voters who spoke to the outlet said democracy was their main driving factor, with 30 percent rating the economy as the biggest issue. Reflecting national exit polling, immigration was down the list at 12 percent.
Pennsylvanians felt uneasy about the security of democracy, with 34 percent saying it was “somewhat threatened” and 40 percent saying it was “very threatened.”
Those voting for former President Donald Trump appeared to show a more negative view of the state of democracy, with 61 percent giving the most negative answer. Fifty-nine percent of Harris voters said democracy was secure.
On election accuracy in the state, early three-quarters felt confident, with Democrats taking a more positive stance.
As in Georgia, most voters under 45 said they supported Harris, while those over that age leaned toward Trump.
Around half of voters polled said their family’s finances were worse off than four years ago, with 82 percent of that view coming from Trump supporters.
Harris supporters in the state had a mixed view on the economy, split between good and not-so-good, while 90 percent of Trump supporters said the economy was poor.
Abortion was the most important topic for Democrats, while the economy and immigration were stronger for Republicans.
Newsweek spoke to voters in the battleground state who have a mixed view of how the election will pan out.
“I came out earlier, and I came back to bring my daughter,” Tisha Davison said of casting her ballot. “I made sure all of my kids came. I said if you want the right person, you have to vote.”
Voter Anna Wright said she had to ensure her vote counted.
“Not everybody votes. They have their own reasons, like I had mine,” she said Tuesday night. “Whoever wins is whoever wins. It’s going to be whatever it is…I just hope that it’s good.”
ABC News polling showed that men with children and men without children voted for Trump. Among women, 55 percent with children and 56 percent without voted for Harris.
The Keystone State, where Trump survived an assassination attempt, is viewed by many as the biggest prize in the Electoral College and was won by Joe Biden in 2020.
For Kamala Harris, Pennsylvania is a central plank in the quickest path to the White House: if she picks up Michigan and Wisconsin, she will—assuming other states do not flip—pass 270 electoral votes.
The same is true for Trump, who could also collect the keys to the Oval Office by securing Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Written by: Dan Gooding @Newsweek
The post “CNN Exit Poll Result: Pennsylvania Voters Rank Democracy as Top Issue” first appeared on Newsweek