Exit polls: Trump wins SC backed by whites, older voters

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Republican Donald Trump won South Carolina with the help of whites, evangelicals and older voters, beating Democrat Hillary Clinton in a state that has backed the GOP nominee in every presidential contest since 1976.

Here’s a look at some results of exit polling conducted for The Associated Press and television networks in the state:

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HOW SOUTH CAROLINA VOTED

Some 70 percent of white voters in the state cast ballots for Trump, while 94 percent of blacks chose Clinton. Trump and Clinton split up the votes of those with college degrees though Trump carried 58 percent of those who said they had no college degree.

An overwhelming number of those who consider themselves to be white, evangelical voters - 86 percent - backed Trump, while 11 percent in that group backed Clinton.

Clinton and Trump evenly split among voters ages 18-44, while about 6 in 10 voters 45 and older backed the Republican.

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THE RIGHT STUFF FOR PRESIDENT?

Two-thirds of South Carolina voters said they didn’t view Clinton as honest and trustworthy, with more than half saying the same of Trump.

In choosing a president nearly half of the voters said they cared most about a candidate’s ability bring about needed change. Of that group, 84 percent sided with Trump.

Issues such as experience, judgment and a candidate who “cares” didn’t resonate as much with voters. But among those who felt experience was the most important quality in a presidential candidate, 88 percent voted for Clinton.

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TIM SCOTT

More than 6 in 10 South Carolina voters chose to send Republican Tim Scott back to Washington for his first full term in the U.S. Senate. In winning re-election, Scott carried about 7 in 10 of voters in the state’s traditionally conservative Upstate, which carried the race for him over Democratic challenger Thomas Dixon.

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The exit poll of 895 South Carolina voters was conducted for AP and the television networks by Edison Research in a random sample of 15 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.