Super Tuesday: Exit polls show voters made last-minute decisions while healthcare topped list of key issues
With most Democratic primary polls closed for Super Tuesday across 14 states, voters are focused on defeating President Donald Trump while also calling for significant changes to the health care and economic systems of the country.
Early voting results showed Biden winning big in multiple states including Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama, while Senator Bernie Sanders won in his home state Vermont and Colorado.
Almost half of the Democratic primary voters in Virginia said that they decided on their candidate in the last few days before voting, according to exit polls.
Nearly 3 in 10 voters in North Carolina also said that they made up their minds about their candidate of choice in the last few days before Super Tuesday. Most black voters in both states, however, had decided on their choice shortly after January, according to CNN.
A majority of Democratic voters in early voting said that they would prefer a nominee with a significant potential to beat Trump over one with whom they agree on significant issues. The states who prefer beating Trump over issues include Alabama, Oklahoma, Virginia and Colorado.
Those concerned about the issues topped health care in their lists. Democratic primary voters in Maine and Massachusetts ranked healthcare as the most important issue of the 2020 race, according to CNN's early exit polls.
Nearly half of the voters in Maine and 2 out of 5 in Massachusetts and Virginia said healthcare was the deciding factor for them on whom to vote for on Super Tuesday. Nearly a quarter of these voters ranked climate change close to healthcare as their second key issue.
The two main contenders in the race — Biden and Sanders — have differing plans to better the country's healthcare with the Vermont senator championing his "Medicare-for-All," seeking to replace private insurance with a government plan.
Meanwhile, Biden favors the expansion of a public option within the existing private insurance system.