NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Voters' views of Tuesday's U.S. Senate election in Louisiana, according to final results of exit polling conducted for The Associated Press and television networks:
PARTY IMPORTANCE
Three-quarters of Louisiana voters said party control of the Senate was a very important reason for their choice. There was a close split between Landrieu and Cassidy, but a much bigger one between Democrat and Republican. About 44 percent of that group voted for Cassidy, 42 percent for Landrieu and 14 percent for Maness, making the split by party 58 percent to 42 percent.
Democrats make up 46.9 percent of Louisiana's 2.9 million registered voters, Republicans 27.7 percent and "other" 25.4 percent.
OBAMA AND THE VOTE
Forty-three percent of Louisiana's voters said one reason for their vote was to express opposition to President Barack Obama. Cassidy received 72 percent of those votes and Maness 23 percent. Those who voted at least partly to express support for the president made up 18 percent, and were virtually all for Landrieu. Thirty-six percent said Obama was not a factor in their vote. Landrieu got 56 percent of those votes, Cassidy 27 percent and Maness 14 percent.
TEA PARTY
Thirty-seven percent of Louisiana voters support the tea party, 26 percent oppose it and one-third are neutral. Although Maness was the tea party candidate, only 20 percent of its supporters voted for him, with 62 percent lighting up Cassidy's name on the voting machines. Another 14 percent voted for Landrieu, who was the choice of 85 percent of those opposed to the tea party and 37 percent of those neutral. Cassidy got 11 percent of the vote among people opposed to the tea party and 45 of those who were neutral.
ISLAMIC STATE GROUP
About half of the Louisiana voters polled approve of current U.S. military action against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Landrieu got 52 percent of those voters and Cassidy 34 percent. Among those who disapprove, Cassidy got 45 percent and Landrieu 37 percent.
TERROR
More than one-third of Louisiana voters, 37 percent, are very worried that terrorists will make another major attack in the United States, and 40 percent are somewhat worried. More than half of those who were very worried voted for Cassidy and about one-quarter for Landrieu, who led Cassidy 47 percent to 36 percent among those who described themselves as somewhat worried. Seventy-seven percent of those who were not too worried or not at all worried voted for Landrieu.
GOT A GUN?
About seven in 10 voters polled Tuesday own guns. Cassidy got half of their votes, Landrieu about three in 10 and Maness about two in 10. Landrieu was favored by two-thirds of those who don't own guns, Cassidy by about one-quarter and Maness by about one in six.
SINGLE OR MARRIED?
Cassidy was the choice of 47 percent of the married voters and 29 percent of the single voters, while Landrieu got 56 percent of the single vote and 34 percent of the married vote. Married voters made up nearly two-thirds of the total at 63 percent.
GAY MARRIAGE
About seven in 10 voters say they don't want Louisiana to legally recognize gay marriage. That's slightly below the 78 percent who voted in 2004 for the state's Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
The exit poll of 2,444 Louisiana voters was conducted for AP and the television networks by Edison Research in a random sample of 40 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.
– by AP Reporter Janet McConnaughey
