Exit Polling: Republicans Pro-Life, Want Abortion Illegal

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 29, 2012   |   2:51PM   |   Washington, DC

Exit polling data from both Michigan and Arizona show Republicans are strongly pro-life and want to see most or all abortions made illegal. The results are consistent with polls taken in previous elections.

In Arizona, 55 percent of Republicans who voted in yesterday’s primary election said they want abortions to be mostly (36%) or always (19%) illegal while just 37 percent of Republicans want abortions to be mostly (26%) or always (11%) legal.

Looking at the voting breakdown in Arizona, both pro-life and pro-abortion Republicans favored Mitt Romney, who has been running as a pro-life candidate seeking the GOP nomination to face pro-abortion President Barack Obama and wont he Arizona primary. Rick Santorum, who is also running on a pro-life platform, too second place among both pro-life and pro-abortion voters. The most pro-life voters in Arizona, those who want all abortions illegal, evenly split between the two candidates at 42 percent apiece.

For Arizona voters, 6 percent of Republicans said abortion was their number one issue they took into account when voting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exit polling data from Michigan showed a larger 59 percent of Republicans want all (23%) or most (36%) abortions made illegal while just 36% want all (12%) or most (25%) abortons kept legal.

In Michigan, pro-life voters favored Santorum by a close 47-38 percentage point margin and Romney won among those who want most abortions made illegal (46-39%) while pro-life voters who want all abortions illegal voted for Santorum 60-25%.

Michigan voters were more interested in abortion with 14 percent of Republicans saying it was their number one issue — those voters favored Santorum 77-13 percent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Arizona numbers haven’t changed much from 2008, when Republicans said they wanted abortions made illegal by a 58-38 percentage point margin.

In 2008, Republicans in most states indicated they are pro-life and oppose all or most abortions. As we reported in 2008:

Including Texas and Ohio, the number of states with a pro-life Republican majority jumps to 19 out of 24 that have voted thus far and had exit polling data. The Texas exit poll included 1,545 Republicans and 69 percent said abortion should be illegal while just 29 percent said abortion should remain illegal. Looking more closely at the numbers, some 25 percent of Texas Republicans said all abortions should be illegal while another 44 percent want most abortions made illegal.

2008 State Pro-Life v. Pro-Abortion Always Illegal Mostly Illegal Mostly Legal Always Legal
Alabama 76-20% 32% 44% 15% 5%
Arizona 58-37% 17% 42% 25% 13%
Arkansas 80-18% 37% 43% 13% 6%
California 54-42% 19% 35% 28% 14%
Connecticut 46-50% 13% 33% 30% 20%
Florida 54-44% 18% 35% 30% 14%
Georgia 64-33% 25% 39% 24% 9%
Illinois 64-33% 26% 38% 23% 10%
Iowa 74-23% 25% 49% 16% 7%
Louisiana 75-22% 38% 37% 15% 7%
Maryland 56-42% 17% 39% 28% 14%
Massachusetts 41-56% 13% 28% 37% 19%
Missouri 74-23% 32% 43% 18% 6%
New Hampshire 45-52% 15% 30% 32% 20%
New Jersey 46-53% 16% 29% 34% 19%
New York 48-49% 14% 34% 28% 21%
Ohio 70-28% 27% 43% 22% 6%
Oklahoma 76-22% 27% 49% 17% 6%
South Carolina 71-28% 28% 43% 19% 9%
Tennessee 75-22% 33% 42% 15% 7%
Texas 68-29% 25% 44% 22% 7%
Utah 85-13% 10% 75% 10% 3%
Virginia 63-34% 25% 38% 25% 9%
Wisconsin 74-25% 27% 47% 16% 9%