Super Tuesday Exit Polls: Who Black, Latino Voters Supported
Former Vice President Joe Biden went on a romp across the South on Tuesday, winning over several states with large majorities of African Americans. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won the largest state on the Super Tuesday map, California, where Latinos make up about a third of the Democratic electorate.
All told, the 14 states that voted Tuesday offer the clearest distillation yet of the two distinct paths that Sanders and Biden would take to build a winning Democratic coalition to defeat President Trump in November.
Black voters propel Biden to victory in Southern states
Biden picked up victories in four Southern states — Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama — largely on the back of his support among black voters.
In Alabama and Virginia, Biden had support of about seven in 10 black voters. In Tennessee and North Carolina, Biden had the support of more than half of black voters.
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Biden also outperformed Sanders with black voters in Texas, where they make up roughly one-fifth of the Democratic primary electorate. Exit polls show Biden with the support of roughly 60% of black voters in the state, Sanders has 17%.
Another test of Biden and Sanders' strength among black voters will come next week in Missouri, where one-fifth of the Democratic electorate is made of black voters. Sanders lost the state by less than a percentage point in 2016. And Mississippi voters will have their say the same day, that's a state where black voters made up 70% of the Democratic electorate in 2016, which could bode well for Biden.
Latinos are among Sanders' most reliable voters
Millions of Latino voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, significantly in Texas and California, but also in states like Colorado, Virginia, Massachusetts and North Carolina. They are expected to be the largest minority voting group in 2020, a fact that campaigns have been taking notice of.
Sanders has made an aggressive play for Latino voters across the country. He assembled a coalition that included young voters and Latinos in California, where Latino voters make up roughly 30% of the electorate. California was the biggest delegate prize. Sanders held an early lead with Latino voters, by 30 points.
In Texas, where Latino voters make up 31% of the electorate, Sanders also held a wide lead, with support from 45% of Latinos. In Texas, Sanders leads younger Latinos but Biden leads among older Latinos.
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The challenge for Sanders lies in the fact that though Latinos are among his most reliable voters in this race, there are few states ahead on the primary calendar in which they make up a sizable share of the electorate. Those states include Arizona, Florida, New York and New Jersey.
Asian American voters in California break for Sanders
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are about 6% of the U.S. population, but in California, they account for about 7% of the Democratic electorate. In that state, Sanders won a little more than a quarter of Asians who voted in the Democratic primary, according to exit polls. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has support of 23%.
According to an NBC News analysis of exit poll data across Super Tuesday States, Sanders is actually leading with Asian American voters across the landscape. According to their tally, Sanders gets 39% of their votes, and another 21% of Asian American voters back Biden.
Asian Americans are also the fastest growing racial group in the country, and one that leans heavily Democratic, something that could be key for whichever candidate emerges as the party's nominee. [Copyright 2020 NPR]
