Early exit polling offers hope to both candidates

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama can find reason for optimism in the early exit polling from Indiana and North Carolina.

Two-thirds of voters surveyed in North Carolina and nearly that many in Indiana said that the economy is the most important issue -- the highest proportions of the 28 states so far with exit polling conducted for the Associated Press and the TV networks.

Clinton's support among those voters has risen significantly in recent primaries. In Pennsylvania two weeks ago, 55 percent of voters picked the economy as the top issue, and Clinton won 59 percent of those voters.

But Clinton took a risk by going so far out on the limb on a gas tax holiday -- a proposal panned by nearly all economists, rebuffed by fellow Democrats in Congress, and derided as a "political gimmick" by Obama.

Obama can take heart in that nearly one third of voters in North Carolina, and one in seven in Indiana, were African American. He has been winning more than 90 percent of black voters in recent primaries.

The other demographic breakdowns appear split.

In Indiana's open primary, about one in five said they were independents, who have tended to support Obama, while one in 10 identified themselves as Republican, who helped Clinton win in Texas but also support Obama.

And about one in seven voters in Indiana and slightly fewer in North Carolina were under age 30 -- a group where Obama has done extremely well. About one fourth of voters in North Carolina and somewhat fewer in Indiana were over age 65 -- a group that has backed Clinton.