Gauging the Democratic divide

Exit polls from West Virginia's Democratic primary provide another opportunity to examine the extent of the split within the party.

Published May 13, 2008 11:17PM (EDT)

Results from exit polls conducted during Tuesday's Democratic primary in West Virginia show some conflicting things about the divide in the Democratic Party.

On the one hand, 78 percent of respondents say Hillary Clinton should remain in the race -- that's considerably higher than the number out of a recent national poll, which showed that 55 percent of Democrats believe Clinton should stay in. The discrepancy can most likely be explained by what's expected to be a sizable victory for Clinton in West Virginia.

On the other hand, according to CBS News, only 23 percent of Clinton voters say they'll be satisfied if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, and just 38 percent of Obama voters say they'll be satisfied if Clinton is the nominee.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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