Washington,
DC -- Exit polling data on Super Tuesday from across
the country showed a large majority of Republican voters in most
states take a pro-life position on abortion. The data showed
Republicans in western and southern states are strongly pro-life
while those in the northeast are more likely to back abortion.Southern state exit polls show Republicans opposed to abortion by the highest margins.
More than three-fourths of all Republicans in Missouri (74-23 percent), Tennessee (75-22), Alabama (76-20), Oklahoma (76-22) and Arkansas (81-18) say they want all or most abortions illegal and take a pro-life position
No more than 20-25 percent of GOP voters in those southern states support abortion and less than 10 percent in many of the states want all abortions to remain legal.
Voters in Georgia join their southern counterparts in taking a pro-life position by a 64 to 33 percentage point margin and prior exit polls South Carolina and Florida show a 71-28 percent and 54-44 percent pro-life split respectively.
While pro-life advocates are historically strong in the South, they're also well-represented in the Midwest. Previous polls showed about 75 percent of Iowa GOP voters are pro-life and their Republican neighbors in Illinois are as well.
Some 64 percent of Republicans in Illinois said they want all or most abortions illegal while just 33 percent want all or most to remain legal.
Western state Republicans also want
abortions made illegal by a majority margin, including in
California.
Golden State Republicans take a pro-life position by a 54 to 42
percentage point margin.
In Arizona, 58 percent of Republicans take a pro-life position compared to just 37 percent who don't while Utah Republicans were even more strongly pro-life with a 85-13 percentage point split.
GOP voters in the northeast are more likely to have a split on the issue of abortion. Even then, exit polling data shows those who say a majority of Republicans are pro-life don't find much evidence to back their claims.
New York Republicans are split 49-48 percent in favor of legalized abortion, and the split is 50-46 in favor of abortion in Connecticut, 53-46 percent in New Jersey, and 56-41 percent in Massachusetts.
Previous exit polls show
New Hampshire Republicans are pro-abortion on a thin 52-45 percent
margin.
In every case, McCain's share of the pro-life vote was less than his overall vote total in the state and he relied on his strength with pro-abortion Republicans to win. That could help him appeal to independent voters in November, but points to concerns about his ability to hold the Republican pro-life base.
Although
McCain won Missouri and Oklahoma, pro-life voters there, encouraged
by endorsements from statewide pro-life groups, sided with Huckabee.
The senator also won California over Mitt Romney on a 44-27 percent
margin but Romney won among pro-life voters there 33-31 percent over
McCain. Even in his home state of Arizona, which he won 47-34
percent over Romney, McCain lost to Romney with pro-life Republicans
46-34 percent.
| State | Pro-Life v. Pro-Abortion | Always Illegal | Mostly Ilegal | Mostly Legal | Always Legal |
| California | 54-42% | 19% | 35% | 28% | 14% |
| New York | 48-49% | 14% | 34% | 28% | 21% |
| Illinois | 64-33% | 26% | 38% | 23% | 10% |
| Georgia | 64-33% | 25% | 39% | 24% | 9% |
| New Jersey | 46-53% | 16% | 29% | 34% | 19% |
| Missouri | 74-23% | 32% | 43% | 18% | 6% |
| Tennessee | 75-22% | 33% | 42% | 15% | 7% |
| Massachusetts | 41-56% | 13% | 28% | 37% | 19% |
| Arizona | 58-37% | 17% | 42% | 25% | 13% |
| Alabama | 76-20% | 32% | 44% | 15% | 5% |
| Connecticut | 46-50% | 13% | 33% | 30% | 20% |
| Oklahoma | 76-22% | 27% | 49% | 17% | 6% |
| Arkansas | 80-18% | 37% | 43% | 13% | 6% |
| Utah | 85-13% | 10% | 75% | 10% | 3% |
| Alaska | n/a | ||||
| Iowa | 74-23% | 25% | 49% | 16% | 7% |
| New Hampshire | 45-52% | 15% | 30% | 32% | 20% |
| South Carolina | 71-28% | 28% | 43% | 19% | 9% |
| Florida | 54-44% | 18% | 35% | 30% | 14% |