Super Tuesday tips: Republicans aren’t worried about Trump’s criminal cases and immigration is still the top issue
Donald Trump was robbed of a clean slate in the states on Super Tuesday by Nikki Haley’s victory in Vermont.
But it was still a dominant performance for the Republican front-runner, who is now focused on his rematch with Joe Biden in November.
While the evening’s results weren’t surprising, the exit polls provided insight into what Republican voters are thinking ahead of the general election.
As Republican voters left polling stations across the US on Tuesday, they were unconcerned about Trump’s many legal battles and more preoccupied with the current state of immigration.
One of the most stark findings from the Super Tuesday exit polls revealed how Trump’s “MAGA” platform and his bulldog approach to his many lawsuits have enraptured the Republican Party.
Many Republican supporters still fervently support Trump and are undeterred by his many legal battles — even if he has been convicted of a crime.
But Nikki Haley’s supporters are not eager to support Trump if she were to fall, posing a challenge to his prospects for victory in November.
It also showed that immigration is still the top concern among voters.
DailyMail.com lists the most important insights from Super Tuesday.
Voters in 16 states and American Samoa went to the polls on Super Tuesday
A majority of Republican voters told pollsters that Donald Trump would be fit for office even if convicted of a crime
Trump has unwavering support despite legal challenges
Edison Research exit polls conducted in a number of Super Tuesday states found that Republican voters are particularly staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Majorities of Republican voters in North Carolina, Virginia and California said he would still be fit for office even if convicted of a crime.
Specifically, fewer than 23% of Republicans who voted for him in California think he is “unfit” to serve as president — even if he is ultimately convicted of a crime.
However, a minority of Republican voters in two of the states voting on Super Tuesday consider themselves members of the MAGA movement, according to CNN exit polls.
In Virginia, 31 percent of voters said they were MAGA, compared to 59 percent who said no, while 39 percent of those in North Carolina said “yes,” while 54 percent said “no.”
Asked whether Trump would still be fit to run for president if convicted of a crime, 53 percent in Virginia said he would, while 40 percent said no.
In North Carolina, 64 percent of primary voters said the former president would still be fit to serve if found guilty of a crime, while 32 percent said no.
Further, 60 percent of voters in North Carolina, 46 percent of voters in Virginia and 57 percent of Republican Party voters in California said Biden was not legitimately elected — a false claim that Trump has repeated since the 2020 election.
Haley supporters, meanwhile, are not fans of the former president, or his rhetoric surrounding the 2020 election.
A ABC exit poll found Tuesday that a majority of Haley voters in North Carolina (78%), Virginia (68%) and California (69%) would not be committed to supporting whoever the GOP candidate is.
Haley attracts many independent and more moderate voters, a crucial group that Trump will have to convince to vote for him in November if he becomes the party’s nominee.
Many of those voters, however, would not support the former president if convicted of a crime, unlike his stronger Republican base.
They also disagree with Trump’s claim that Biden’s election was illegitimate.
a CBS exit poll in Virginia found that 68 percent of moderates who voted in the Republican primaries broke for Haley.
However, a majority of her supporters said their vote was mainly against Trump and not in favor of Haley.
She also won a majority of moderate voters in North Carolina, according to Edison Research.
Donald Trump crushed Nikki Haley among non-white voters as a warning sign to Biden
According to Super Tuesday data collected by Edison, Trump defeated Haley with non-white voters 72 percent to 23 percent.
That’s the same group of voters who are critical of Democrats.
In the 2020 election, Biden defeated Trump among Hispanics by nearly 20 points.
However, one recent one New York Times/Siena College Survey also found that Trump is outperforming Biden among Hispanic voters.
The survey found that former President Trump led Biden by six points among the demographic group.
If Trump continues to gain support from Hispanics and other non-white voters, it could signal trouble for Biden.
Nikki Haley has made no plans to make any Super Tuesday announcements
Haley has previously said she would reassess her campaign after Super Tuesday
Immigration is one of the top issues among voters
Exit polls in Virginia and North Carolina conducted by CBS News show the migrant crisis as the top issue ahead of the 2024 election.
Forty-three percent in Virginia and 37% in North Carolina chose immigration over the economy, abortion and foreign policy when asked about their concerns at polling places.
Republican Party voters in California said the economy was their top issue, while immigration was mentioned almost as often.
A majority of Republican voters in those states also believed that immigrants without legal status should be deported.
In North Carolina, 62 percent of voters said immigrants without legal status should be deported. In Virginia, that number was 59 percent, while in California it was 69 percent.
Border security and immigration are among the top issues for voters in the 2024 election
Border security was recently declared the top issue among voters in this year’s election, and it is the top issue on which Trump launched his 2016 presidential bid.
‘Build that wall!’ voters then sang.
And voters want to rebuild that wall today.
A Monmouth poll in February found that for the first time in history, a majority of Americans (53 percent) want a border wall with Mexico.
Four years ago, in a 2019 poll, only 42 percent of Americans supported the idea.
The poll also shows that 84 percent of voters view illegal immigration as a very serious or somewhat serious issue, a number that has increased significantly since 2019.