Exit Polling Data Confirms Republicans Nationwide Strongly Pro-Life on Abortion 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 5, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Exit polling data on Super Tuesday from across the country showed a large majority of Republican voters in most states take a pro-life position on abortion. The data showed Republicans in western and southern states are strongly pro-life while those in the northeast are more likely to back abortion.
Southern state exit polls show Republicans opposed to abortion by the highest margins.
More than three-fourths of all Republicans in Missouri (74-23 percent), Tennessee (75-22), Alabama (76-20), Oklahoma (76-22) and Arkansas (81-18) say they want all or most abortions illegal and take a pro-life position
No more than 20-25 percent of GOP voters in those southern states support abortion and less than 10 percent in many of the states want all abortions to remain legal.
Voters in Georgia join their southern counterparts in taking a pro-life position by a 64 to 33 percentage point margin and prior exit polls South Carolina and Florida show a 71-28 percent and 54-44 percent pro-life split respectively.
While pro-life advocates are historically strong in the South, they’re also well-represented in the Midwest. Previous polls showed about 75 percent of Iowa GOP voters are pro-life and their Republican neighbors in Illinois are as well.
Some 64 percent of Republicans in Illinois said they want all or most abortions illegal while just 33 percent want all or most to remain legal.
Western state Republicans also want abortions made illegal by a majority margin, including in California.
Golden State Republicans take a pro-life position by a 54 to 42 percentage point margin.
In Arizona, 58 percent of Republicans take a pro-life position compared to just 37 percent who don’t while Utah Republicans were even more strongly pro-life with a 85-13 percentage point split.
GOP voters in the northeast are more likely to have a split on the issue of abortion. Even then, exit polling data shows those who say a majority of Republicans are pro-life don’t find much evidence to back their claims.
New York Republicans are split 49-48 percent in favor of legalized abortion, and the split is 50-46 in favor of abortion in Connecticut, 53-46 percent in New Jersey, and 56-41 percent in Massachusetts.
Previous exit polls show New Hampshire Republicans are pro-abortion on a thin 52-45 percent margin.
Exit Polling Showing Pro-Life Republican Majorities
State Pro-Life v. Pro-Abortion Always Illegal Mostly Ilegal Mostly Legal Always Legal California 54-42% 19% 35% 28% 14% New York 48-49% 14% 34% 28% 21% Illinois 64-33% 26% 38% 23% 10% Georgia 64-33% 25% 39% 24% 9% New Jersey 46-53% 16% 29% 34% 19% Missouri 74-23% 32% 43% 18% 6% Tennessee 75-22% 33% 42% 15% 7% Massachusetts 41-56% 13% 28% 37% 19% Arizona 58-37% 17% 42% 25% 13% Alabama 76-20% 32% 44% 15% 5% Connecticut 46-50% 13% 33% 30% 20% Oklahoma 76-22% 27% 49% 17% 6% Arkansas 80-18% 37% 43% 13% 6% Utah 85-13% 10% 75% 10% 3% Alaska n/a Iowa 74-23% 25% 49% 16% 7% New Hampshire 45-52% 15% 30% 32% 20% South Carolina 71-28% 28% 43% 19% 9% Florida 54-44% 18% 35% 30% 14%
