Politics on the Hudson

Highlights of preliminary results from exit polls conducted in New York for The Associated Press and television networks:
RACE AS A FACTOR
Almost all black New Yorkers voted for Democrat Barack Obama, the first black presidential candidate to be nominated by either major party. A clear majority of white voters also preferred Obama to Republican John McCain. Three in four voters said the race of the candidate was not a factor in their vote.
AGE AS A FACTOR
Nearly half of voters said the age of the candidates was a factor, and most of them voted for the 47-year-old Obama over the 72-year-old McCain.
ECONOMIC WORRIES
Most of New York voters said they are worried that the current economic crisis will harm their family’s finances over the next year. A majority of New Yorkers oppose the U.S. government’s $700 billion plan to assist failing financial companies. Most voters said they believe their taxes will go up no matter which candidate is elected.
ANGER AT BUSH, CONGRESS
Lopsided majorities of New York voters said they disapprove of both the way President Bush is handling his job and they way Congress is handling its job. Most voters said the country is going seriously off track.
The exit poll of New York voters was conducted for AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International in a random sample of 30 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, higher for subgroups.
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Methodology details: http://surveys.ap.org/exitpo