Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz had a big night Tuesday in Wisconsin, winning the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. The NBC News Exit Poll revealed insights into how voters felt about various issues and the candidates after they made their choice.
Below are six charts that illustrate the most interesting lessons from WIsconsin.
The angry voter has been the hallmark of this year’s GOP nominating contest, but Midwestern Republicans have been a little less angry than most. The NBC News Exit Poll found that “Wisconsin nice” has kept up this trend, joining neighboring Michigan as the least angry voters this cycle.
About one out of three Republicans voting in Wisconsin said they would abandon the party if either Cruz or Donald Trump is the GOP nominee in November.
More Wisconsin Democratic voters think Bernie Sanders is trustworthy compared to Hillary Clinton. This questioned has dogged the former secretary of state throughout the primary campaign.
Wisconsin voters headed to the polls Tuesday amid a campaign in which anti-establishment sentiment is on the rise. But the NBC News Exit Poll suggested that the state’s Republicans and Democrats feel quite differently about whether they want a true outsider as the nation’s next president.
Cruz made significant gains among the most conservative Republican voters in Wisconsin. Cruz’s performance represents a substantial improvement among this group of voters compared to just three weeks ago on March 15 when Illinois voted.
More Democratic voters in Wisconsin believe Hillary Clinton’s policies are realistic compared to Bernie Sanders’. The Vermont senator has an ambitious policy platform that includes free college tuition and a universal health care plan.
Sam Petulla
NBC News Exit Poll Desk