Why Bush And Gore Won

Using exit poll data, CBS News Election and Survey Unit Consultant Annie Weber explains the impressive Super Tuesday triumphs of Texas. Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore.

Bush Trumps McCain

The majority of voters across America, from Maine to California, supported Bush over Arizona Sen. John McCain, by a margin of 54 percent to 40 percent.

In past weeks, McCain had been reaching out to Republicans after his victories in recent "open" primaries (where registered voters can vote for candidates from any party) were largely fueled by support from independents and Democrats. But the national results Tuesday night suggest that McCain's efforts to effectively woo the traditional Republican base have fallen short. Bush carried self-described Republicans by nearly a two-to-one margin: 63 percent of Republicans have voted for Bush; 32 percent voted for McCain.

The makeup of the two candidates' support across the country confirmed that Bush won the battle for Republicans. Bush's support was composed of 82 percent of self-described Republicans, 2 percent Democrats, and 16 percent independents. In contrast, McCain continued his pattern of carrying Democrats and independents by a large margin, with only 56 percent of his support coming from self-described Republicans, 8 percent from self-described Democrats, and 37 percent from self-described independents.

Mixing Religion & Politics

A key component of Bush's backers continues to be the religious right. Among the 20 percent of voters who identified themselves as members of the religious right, 69 percent supported Bush, 21 percent supported McCain. But recent turmoil over McCain's charges that Bush supports "anti-Catholic" views, does not appear to have been a major factor among Catholic voters, with 51 percent choosing Bush and 45 percent choosing McCain.

Bush Is Convincing Voters He Is Ready to Be President

The majority of self-described Republican voters said it is their candidate's leadership and personal qualities that drove their vote, not the issues. Fifty-five percent cited leadership; 42 percent said it was their candidate's position on the issues that mattered. Nationally, Bush won by a 2-1 margin among voters focused on the issues. Plus Bush won by a narrow margin of 49 percent to 47 percent among voters looking for leadership. And despite some criticism that Bush is not experienced enough to be the next president of the United States, seven in 10 voters (71 percent) said Bush does have the knowledge to serve effectively in the highest office in the land.

Bush's proposed tax cut is also helping his cause. Among voters in the Republican primary who say cutting taxes is a priority, two-thirds (66 perent) support Bush. (Those who say saving social security is more important are more likely to support McCain.)

Strategic Voting?

It's no surprise that most voters say their candidate in the primary is also the most likely to win in November as well. Nearly all of both Bush and McCain supporters say their man would win in the general election. But despite McCain's demonstrated superior ability to attract voters from across party lines - 61 percent of all voters in the Republican primaries still say Bush is the best bet to beat the Democrats.

A Clean Sweep For Gore

Although the Republican race has generated more sound and fury in the past few weeks than the Democratic race, Vice President Al Gore has been rolling toward his party's presidential nomination like a juggernaut - and the vice president's decisive victories may finally crush former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley's presidential bid.

Gore was victorious in every race. The vice president won support from Democratic primary voters who approve of the job Bill Clinton has done as president. Three-quarters (74 percent) of voters who approve of Clinton's job performance (82 percent) opted for Gore over Bradley. However, the few Democratic voters who disapprove of Clinton's job performance voted for Bradley over Gore by 58 percent to 36 percent.

It also appears that Democratic voters did not blame Gore for Clinton's perceived personal failings. Even among the 39 percent of voters who have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton as a person, a small majority, 53 percent, chose Gore; 44 percent went for Bradley.