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Last update - 21:35 04/01/2008 Evangelicals, young voters propel Huckabee, Obama in Iowa By The Associated Press Tags: Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama  Religion played a huge role in Mike Huckabee's triumph in the Iowa Republican caucuses, though there are some mixed signals for him on the road ahead. On the Democratic side, it was fresh blood - and an outcry for change - that helped propel Barack Obama to his victory in the state. Eight in 10 Huckabee supporters said they are born again or evangelical Christians, according to an entrance poll for The Associated Press and television networks. Another six in 10 said it was very important to share their candidate's religious beliefs. In both categories, none of the former Arkansas governor's opponents came close to that kind of support. In addition, six in 10 Huckabee supporters - more than his rivals - said it was most important that their candidate shared their values. Only 4 percent of his backers said they wanted a contender with experience, and 2 percent said they were looking for a Republican who can win the White House in November. Advertisement On the Democratic side, more than a third of Obama's support was from voters under age 30, eclipsing Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards among the young, according to those entering the caucuses. In contrast, more than a third of Clinton's vote came from people age 65 and older, far more than her top rivals. More than half of Edwards' supporters were veteran caucus goers, while most of Clinton's and Obama's backers were first-timers. And a desire for change was like a rocket booster for Obama - half of Democrats said the ability to force change was the pivotal factor in picking a candidate, and half of them backed the youthful Illinois senator. For both Iowa winners, though, the momentum they gained will be tested. With New Hampshire's primaries next Tuesday, the campaign's next stop is a state where only about one in five Republican voters are born again or evangelical Christians - about one-third the number who claimed that status among Iowa Republicans. While 46 percent of Iowa's born again or evangelical Republican voters backed Huckabee, a slight majority did not - indicating a willingness to support candidates other than the ordained Baptist minister who has made religion a centerpiece of his campaign. Mitt Romney, former governor of New Hampshire's neighbor, Massachusetts, got one in five of those voters in Iowa. Huckabee dominated among Iowa conservatives overall, winning about a third of their vote, compared to about a quarter for Romney. Yet most of that support came from conservatives who are also born again or evangelical. Nearly half of them voted for Huckabee, compared to less than a fifth of other conservatives who supported him. Huckabee trailed John McCain, and was even with Romney, among the one in 10 at the GOP caucuses who say they are independents. New Hampshire has far more independents than that. In its last competitive Republican contest, in 2000, 41 percent of voters called themselves independent, more than in any other Republican primary exit poll that year - and they were a key to McCain's New Hampshire victory over George W. Bush. As for Obama, he benefited from a strong turnout by young voters - 22 percent of Iowa Democrats at the caucuses were less than age 30, compared to the 17 percent of that age who voted in Iowa's 2004 Democratic race. Obama won a staggering 57 percent of those young people's votes. Young voters are typically harder to lure to the polls than older ones, and it is not certain he will be able to maintain that kind of commitment from them as the contest hopscotches around the country. He won four in 10 votes of those attending Iowa's caucuses for the first time - a group that comprised more than half of those who showed up Thursday. Just more than half of Obama supporters were single, while more than six in 10 of Clinton's and Edwards' were married. Obama's strength also enabled him to narrowly capture a banner that many national polls showed belonged to Clinton: women. He got 35 percent of their support, compared to 30 percent for the New York senator and 23 percent for Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina. In other words, only three in 10 women backed the candidate who if victorious would be the first female president. There was a winner in Iowa Thursday who had majority support from women, but it was Huckabee. Fifty-two percent of his votes came from women, making him the only Republican candidate to get more than half his support from females. Besides leading among women, Huckabee tied Romney among men. He also prevailed among young and middle-aged voters and those earning less than $100,000 (68,000) annually, while breaking even with Romney among the oldest people. About a third of Clinton's supporters cited experience as the key personal quality they were seeking, well ahead of her two major rivals. As for Edwards, one-third of his strength came from those looking for a candidate who empathizes with people - far more than his opponents received. The poll was conducted for the AP and the television networks by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International as voters arrived at 40 sites each for Democratic and Republican caucuses in Iowa. The Democratic entrance poll interviewed 2,136 caucus-goers, the Republican survey 1,600. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percentage points for each Bookmark to del.icio.us   A second visit? Peres invites Bush to visit Israel in May for Independence Day. After Iowa Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani's campaigns?   1.   American deadbeats 22:57  |  Clickfool 04/01/08

Today Online Amos Harel: Israel is not the only one exercising restraint Responses: 136 Ramon: Crackdown on outposts likely to start after Bush visit Responses: 94 Wiesenthal Center calls on UN to focus on suicide bombings Responses: 169 Editorial: The IDF is an army that has ceased to function as an army Responses: 113 Qassam causes damage to home in Sderot; IDF kills 2 Hamas men Responses: 88 Rosner's Domain Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani? New poll: Obama, Huckabee, who's better for Israel? The Judaism of Alicia Silverstone (WTR) Rosner's Guest: How to raise Jewish children The green line is turning red More Headlines 23:56 Hamas rejects European offer for ceasefire talks 23:42 Qassam causes damage to home in Sderot; IDF kills 2 Hamas men 20:27 Palestinian PM lambasts Israel over West Bank arrest raids 09:07 Wiesenthal Center calls on UN to formally address suicide attacks 22:20 After Iowa: Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani? 21:20 U.S. President George Bush is likely to visit Israel again in May 19:34 Sinai lawmaker calls for calm after Bedouin man shot outside his home near the Israeli border 19:05 Poll: Fatah losing support among West Bank, Gaza Palestinians 19:29 Bush, Jordan's king confer by phone over Mideast peace process 21:26 Settlers council: Peres subjects pres. institution to extreme left Previous Editions Select Day 04 jan 03 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 28 dec 27 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec

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