Virginia Lawyers Weekly

The Associated Press got a take on the strengths and weaknesses of the presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain from the eyes of Virginians through an exit poll of 2,500 voters.

OBAMA’S STRENGTHS: Obama did best among those under 30, minorities, those who believe the economy is in trouble, those who don’t support the war in Iraq and those who want their president to bring about change.

MCCAIN’S STRENGTHS: McCain did best among those over 65, whites and those who approved of the job President Bush was doing and the war.

RACE: Nine in 10 black voters favored Obama, as did about two-thirds of Hispanic voters. Nearly three-quarters of voters said race was not a factor in their decision, but of those who did consider it, about six in 10 supported Obama. White women were more likely to support Obama than white men.

ECONOMY: Nine in 10 voters said they were worried about the economy, and the majority of those backed Obama. The Democrat also picked up support among the middle class, which supported Bush in 2004 but was heavily courted by Obama.

BUSH: Nearly three-quarters of voters were unhappy with the way Bush was running the country, and two-thirds of them favored Obama.

IRAQ: Nearly six in 10 voters disapproved of the war in Iraq, and eight in 10 of them backed Obama.

CHANGE VS. EXPERIENCE: Most said the ability to bring about needed change was the biggest factor in deciding their vote for president, and Obama was favored among nine in 10 of those voters. About one in five voters said experience mattered most, and virtually all of those voters chose McCain.

PHILOSOPHY: About one in five of those who considered themselves conservatives backed Obama. Nearly half of voters considered themselves moderates, and the majority of them supported Obama.

SENATE RACE: Concerns about the economy, the war in Iraq and Bush’s performance helped Mark Warner win the open U.S. Senate seat over Jim Gilmore. Warner also got overwhelming support from the half of voters who consider themselves moderates and a quarter who label themselves independents. About 30 percent of those who voted for McCain backed Warner.

The poll was conducted for the AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International in a random sample of 50 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, higher for subgroups.

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