Early exit polls indicated widespread voter dissatisfaction with the direction of the county. According to CNN’s voter survey, 72 percent of voters said they are either dissatisfied or angry with the direction of the U.S. under the Biden-Harris government. However, 61 percent also said they believe the best days for America are still ahead.
Meanwhile, NBC News’s exit polls suggested the economy and the state of democracy were top issues for voters, with abortion in a distant third and immigration just behind in fourth place. Similarly, the Associated Press’s (AP) data found that four in ten voters ranked the economy as their top issue, which is likely a positive sign for President Donald J. Trump. Only one in ten voters told the AP that abortion was their top issue.
Voters supporting Vice President Kamala Harris overwhelmingly said the state of democracy was their top issue. According to the CNN exits, 56 percent of Harris voters named democracy as their top issue, with 21 percent naming abortion. The abortion data point is important as it ranks relatively low in the overall exits across the partisan spectrum—which could be indicative of low turnout for Harris.
It is important to note that exit polling is not always indicative of how votes will actually break, especially early numbers. In past elections, early exit polls have skewed toward the Democratic nominee and suggested overwhelming votes for both Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Additionally, while CNN found nearly three-quarters of voters angry or dissatisfied with the direction of the country, this number could include Democrats expressing anger over abortion or Donald Trump’s candidacy.
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