Missouri's Republican primary voters who took their time deciding on a presidential candidate showed strong support for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday, while those who decided early favored Trump, according to preliminary interviews with voters leaving their polling places.
The nearly one-third who decided in the past week favored Cruz by a 2-to-1 margin over billionaire Donald Trump - with almost half voting for Cruz and one-fourth supporting Trump. But among those who decided earlier, half supported Trump, compared to one-third for Cruz.
Trump has faced increased scrutiny about his often-volatile rallies over the past several days. More than 30 people were arrested after several protests broke out at his St. Louis rally on Friday. Later that night, he had to cancel in Chicago after fights broke out between supporters and protesters. And on Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside his rally in Kansas City, Missouri.
Here are other highlights of preliminary results of the exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research:
IMPORTANT ISSUES
Democrats and Republicans agree that the economy is the top issue facing the nation. Of the 4 in 10 Democrats who say so, almost 6 in 10 voted for Clinton; among the one-third of Republicans who cited the economy as the top issue, 4 in 10 voted for Trump.
Government spending also was a top concern of 3 in 10 Republicans, with more than half of them voting for Cruz. Two in 10 GOP voters were most concerned about terrorism, and split their votes between Trump and Cruz. Only 1 voter in 10 said immigration was the most important issue, with two-thirds voting for Trump.
About a quarter of Democratic voters said income inequality was most important, with two-thirds voting for Sanders. An equal percentage said health care was most important, and they split their votes between Clinton and Sanders.
CANDIDATE QUALITIES
Democratic voters said the most important qualities in a candidate are someone who cares about people like them, someone who's honest and someone who has experience. Sanders received the support of about two-thirds of voters who wanted someone who cares about them, and 8 in 10 voters who are most concerned about honesty. Clinton received 9 in 10 votes among those who value experience the most. Just over 1 in 10 said they most wanted someone who could beat the Republican nominee, and almost 8 in 10 of them voted for Clinton.
Almost 4 in 10 Republicans voters cited the importance of shared values, and 6 in 10 voted for Cruz. But of the 3 in 10 who want someone who can bring needed change, almost half voted for Trump, while 8 in 10 of those who want a candidate who "tells it like it is" voted for Trump. Only 1 in 10 most wanted a candidate who could beat the Democratic nominee, and 4 in 10 voted for Trump.
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RELIGION
Cruz got half of the vote among voters who identified as white evangelical and born-again Christian and those who attend church at least once a week. Three quarters of Republican voters say they support a ban on Muslims into the country, and almost half of them voted for Trump.
AGE AND INCOME
Older voters favored Trump and Clinton; younger voters favored Cruz and Sanders. On the Republican side, half of voters were ages 30 to 59 and they slightly favored Cruz; among the one-third of voters 60 and older, Trump received more than 4 in 10 of the votes. Two-thirds of Democratic voters 18 to 44 supported Sanders, while nearly two-thirds of those 45 and older backed Clinton.
About two-thirds of Republican voters earn at least $50,000 annually, and they split their votes between Trump and Cruz, as did those earning less than $50.000 a year. Democrats in both income brackets also split their votes among Clinton and Sanders, though Clinton held an edge among those earning $100,000 or more.
The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research as voters left their polling places at 30 randomly selected sites in Missouri. Preliminary results include interviews with 1,363 Republican primary voters, and with 1,116 Democratic primary voters. The results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.