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A CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR February 24-27, 1996 About the CNN/Time Polls About the CNN/TIME Election Monitor Sample size and poll information Pat Buchanan The Religious Right Foreign Affairs Dole Voters GOP Platform GOP Party Supporters U.S. Trade Guns and Politics

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Interviews were conducted on February 24-27 
with 1,002 registered Republicans who were 
originally interviewed in November, 1995. The 
sample includes 373 registered Republicans who 
currently support Bob Dole for the GOP nomination, 
212 current supporters of Buchanan, 123 supporters of 
Alexander, and 110 supporters of Forbes.


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What separates Buchanan's supporters from other registered 
Republicans? One distinction is the number of Buchanan 
supporters who think the country is in deep and serious 
trouble. 71% of Buchanan voters feel that way, compared to 
only 49% of Dole voters and 45% of Alexander voters. Only 
25% of Buchanan voters believe that the country's problems 
are no worse than at other times.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Buchanan Voters' View
of Country's Problems

Deep and serious trouble    71%
No worse than before        25

Sampling error: +/-7% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Country is in Deep
and Serious Trouble

Buchanan voters    71%
Forbes voters      50
Dole voters        49
Alexander voters   45

Sampling error: +/-9% pts

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If the Buchanan campaign seems like a 
crusade sometimes, it may be because Buchanan 
voters are more religious and more supportive 
of the religious right than other registered 
Republicans. A majority of Buchanan voters say they 
support the views of the religious right; no more than a third 
of the other major candidates' supporters feel that way.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Support the Views 
of Religious Right

Buchanan voters    52%
Dole voters        34
Alexander voters   25
Forbes voters      23

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Support the Views
of Religious Right?

               Buchanan    Dole
               Voters      Voters
Yes            52%         34%
No             10          28
Unfamiliar     36          35

Sampling error: +/-7% pts

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Buchanan voters are strongly isolationist 
and protectionist. Six out of ten of them 
believe the U.S. should radically 
reduce its role in international affairs; 
less than half of Dole, Forbes, and Alexander 
voters feel that way. 


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
U.S. Should Radically
Reduce Role in World Affairs

Buchanan voters  60%
Forbes           48
Alexander        37
Dole             36

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Should U.S. Radically
Reduce Role in World Affairs?


           Buchanan   Dole
           Voters     Voters
Yes        60%        36%
No         35         61

Sampling error: +/-7% pts


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Which Republican candidates has conservative 
commentator Pat Buchanan drawn support 
from in his rapid rise in the polls after his 
victory in the New Hampshire primary? Only a 
fifth of current Buchanan supporters said that 
Buchanan was their first choice in 
November. Nearly a third of them would have 
voted for Dole if the election were held four 
months ago. A quarter of today's Buchanan voters 
were undecided last November.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Buchanan Voters' Favorite
Candidate in November

Dole        32%
Buchanan    21
Gramm        9
Undecided   26

Sampling error: +/-7% pts 

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And where have defectors from Bob Dole's camp gone? 
A third of the registered Republicans who planned to 
vote for Dole in November have now defected to Pat 
Buchanan. 21% have switched from Dole to Alexander, 
and 18% have switched to Forbes. One out of five former 
Dole voters are now unsure who they would support.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
November Dole Voters
Now Support... 

Buchanan    34%
Alexander   21
Forbes      18
Undecided   20

Sampling error: +/-7% pts


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There are deep divisions between Buchanan 
voters and other registered Republicans on 
what the GOP should stand for. A majority of 
Buchanan supporters want to see the 
Republican platform call for a constitutional 
amendment to ban abortion; less tan a quarter 
of the other major candidates' supporters want 
that. Half of Buchanan voters want the 
platform to call for a repeal of the ban on 
the manufacture and sale of assault rifles; 
pluralities of all the other candidates' 
supporters oppose repealing the assault weapon ban. 
A majority of Buchanan voters want the GOP 
platform to call for repealing NAFTA; most 
supporters of the other candidates oppose 
withdrawing from NAFTA. Buchanan voters are 
also more likely to support platform planks 
which call for a constitutional amendment to 
allow prayer in public schools and an incrase 
in tariffs on foreign imports.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
GOP Platform: Amendment
to Ban Abortions

Buchanan voters    56%
Alexander voters   24
Dole voters        22
Forbes voters      18

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Should GOP Platform Call for
Amendment to Ban Abortions?

             Buchanan        Dole
             Voters          Voters
Yes          56%             22%
No           43              74

Sampling error: +/-7% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
GOP Platform: Repeal 
Assault Weapon Ban

Buchanan voters   51%
Forbes voters     45
Dole voters       41
Alexander voters  40

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Should GOP Platform Call for
Repeal of Assault Weapons Ban?


        Buchanan    Dole
        Voters      Voters
Yes     51%         41%
No      37          50

Sampling error: +/-7% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
GOP Platform: Repealing NAFTA

Buchanan voters    55%
Alexander voters   38
Dole voters        32
Forbes voters      32

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Should GOP Platform Call for
Repeal of NAFTA?


         Buchanan    Dole
         Voters      Voters
Yes      55%         32%
No       32          59

Sampling error: +/-7% pts

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Buchanan voters believe that the contest 
between their candidate and the other GOP 
hopefuls is a "fight for the heart and soul 
of the Republican party." Supporters of Dole, 
Forbes, and Alexander don't see the primary 
contest that way. If that makes the Buchanan 
campaign a crusade, it may be fitting. 
Buchanan voters are more religious and more 
supportive of the religious right than other 
registered Republicans. A majority of Buchanan 
voters say they support the views of the 
religious right and say that they attend church 
every week or nearly every week. Buchanan 
voters strongly believe that the government 
should do more to promote traditional values 
in our society. But Forbes and Alexander 
voters believe that the government should not 
favor one set of values over another, and 
Dole voters are closely divided on this issue.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
GOP Contest is a Fight For
Heart and Soul of Party

Buchanan voters  58%
Dole voters      42
Forbes voters    41
Alexander voters 33

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Attend Church Weekly
or Nearly Every Week

Buchanan voters  59%
Dole voters      43
Alexander voters 42
Forbes voters    28

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Government Should Promote
Traditional Values

Buchanan voters   62%
Dole voters       49
Alexander voters  47
Forbes voters     35

Sampling error: +/-9% pts

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Buchanan voters are strongly isolationist 
and protectionist. Six out of ten of them believe 
the U.S. should radically reduce its role 
in international affairs, and half of Buchanan's 
supporters say that American workers would 
be better off if the U.S. reduced trade with 
other countries. Less than a third of the 
other candidates' supporters feel that way. A bare 
majority of Buchanan voters oppose the U.S. 
withdrawing from the U.N.; over three-
quarters of all other candidates' voters feel that way.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Reducing U.S. Trade Would 
Help U.S. Workers

Buchanan voters    52%
Alexander voters   36
Dole voters        34
Forbes voters      18

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Would Reducing U.S. Trade
Help U.S. Workers?

         Buchanan    Dole
         Voters      Voters
Yes      52%         34%
No       41          62

Sampling error: +/-7% pts

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Only 29% of Buchanan supporters do not own 
a gun or live in a household with a gun 
owner; 69% have a gun in the household. 
Only about half of the other major candidates' 
supporters can say that. Buchanan voters are 
also less likely to have incomes over $35,000 
than other rehistered Republicans.


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Have Gun in Household

Buchanan voters  69%
Dole voters      52
Forbes voters    45
Alexander voters 40

Sampling error: +/-9% pts


CNN/TIME ELECTION MONITOR
February 24-27
Household Income


                  Under    Over
                  $35,000  $35,000
                  -------  -------
Buchanan voters   41%      53%
Dole voters       36       55
Alexander voters  26       68
Forbes voters     21       66 

Sampling error: +/-9% pts

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Previous Polls

• January 27-30, 1996
• October 31-November 6, 1995

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Copyright © 1997 AllPolitics All Rights Reserved Terms under which this information is provided to you