Economy, Jobs Key in Wis. Primary Vote Part Two
Half of Kerry voters said beating Bush was the priority while two-thirds of Edwards supporters said issues were more important to them.
Byron Conway, 27, of Milwaukee, said he voted for John Kerry "because I'm a sucker for the media and I think he's the only guy with a shot of beating Bush. ... I just want him out."
Kerry also edged out the opposition among union voters. He did even better among blacks - they made up only about one out of every 20 voters, but more than half of them backed Kerry, while Edwards, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and the Rev. Al Sharpton each received about one in seven of their votes.
Most of the white vote, meanwhile, was evenly split between Kerry and Edwards.
About one in five picked health care and Medicare as their top issue, and about as many cited the war in Iraq. Kerry won both of those groups easily.
Of those who said an ability to beat Bush was the most important candidate quality - choosing it over five other options - seven in 10 voted for Kerry. Edwards, meanwhile, got half the votes of those saying they wanted a candidate who cares about people like them.
Barbara Parkman, who is "over 50," said she didn't pay much attention to the race until Kerry began to take the lead. "His credentials are impeccable: He both fought in the Vietnam War and opposed it."
In a contest open to all voters on a day with a nonpartisan primary for mayor in Milwaukee and a referendum on casino gambling in Madison, one in 10 voters described themselves as Republicans - and Edwards won as many of their votes as did Kerry and Dean combined. The Republican turnout was the biggest of any Democratic primary so far this year.
Three in 10 voters called themselves independent, and they favored Edwards over Kerry, but not as strongly as Republicans did. Still, Kerry won about half the votes of the six in 10 who called themselves Democrats.
Of independents who said they made up their minds within the last three days but not Tuesday, two-thirds voted for Edwards. Edwards' edge was a little smaller among voters who decided Tuesday.
Voters who called themselves liberal leaned toward Kerry, conservatives backed Edwards and moderates split down the middle.
About 80 percent of all voters said they would be satisfied if Kerry becomes the Democratic nominee; even two-thirds of Edwards voters and two-thirds of Dean voters said they would be satisfied.
Dean, who early on had staked his political future on the Wisconsin vote, finished a distant third in Wisconsin. One in four voters said they had planned to support Dean at some point during the campaign but wound up voting for someone else. The Dean defectors split evenly between Kerry and Edwards.
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