POLITICO
Exit polls 2012: Voters blame George W. Bush



By EMILY SCHULTHEIS | 11/6/12 5:30 PM EST Updated: 11/6/12 7:18 PM EST

Early exit polls released on Tuesday evening show that about half of voters still blame President George W. Bush more than President Barack Obama for the country’s economic problems and most cite the economy as their top issue in the election.

The exit poll results released by The Associated Press fit with the argument Obama’s team has been making in the lead-up to the election.
(PHOTOS: Election Day 2012)

Sixty percent of voters named the economy as their top issue, followed by health care in a distant second at 17 percent, the deficit at 15 percent and foreign policy at 4 percent. In 2008, 62 percent of voters said the economy was their top issue.

Within the issue of the economy, 40 percent of voters named unemployment as the biggest problem.

(Also on POLITICO: Hour by hour, what to watch on Election Night)

Still, voters are less than optimistic about the state of the economy. Only 24 percent said their families finances are better off than they were four years ago. Thirty-nine percent of voters surveyed said the economy is improving, compared with 31 percent who said it’s getting worse and 28 percent who said it’s staying the same.
Voters are split on the direction of the country: 46 percent say it’s headed in the right direction, while 52 percent said it’s still on the wrong track.


Exit polls 2012: Voters blame George W. Bush - Emily Schultheis - POLITICO.com