Va. exit poll shows economy is top voter issue

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A look at the highlights of the views of Virginia voters from Tuesday’s elections, according to final data from exit polling conducted for The Associated Press and television networks.

TOP ISSUES: The economy was the leading issue for 50 percent of voters, followed by health care and foreign policy.

ECONOMY: About eight in 10 voters said they were either somewhat or very worried about the direction of the economy.

HEALTH CARE: 45 percent of voters surveyed said they thought the 2010 Affordable Care Act was too far-reaching. 25 percent said the law “was about right,” and 28 percent said the law did not go far enough.

ETHICS: About two-thirds of voters say the state’s ethics laws for public officials need an overhaul or a major re-write. Former Gov. Bob McDonnell was convicted on corruption charges in September.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: A small majority of voters, 53 percent, said they did not think Virginia should recognize same-sex marriages. Same sex marriage became legal in Virginia in October after a series of court rulings overturned the state’s ban on gay marriage.

OBAMA AND POLITICAL PARTIES: About a third of voters said one of the reasons they voted was to express opposition to President Barack Obama. Six in 10 voters said they have unfavorable views of the Democratic Party and 56 percent said they had an unfavorable view of the Republican Party.

The survey of 2,100 Virginia voters was conducted for AP and the television networks by Edison Research in a random sample of 35 precincts statewide on Tuesday. Results for the full sample were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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