Exit polls show Wisconsin Republicans feel betrayed by their party, Democrats worried about income inequality


Early exit polling shows that Wisconsin Democrats who came out to vote in today's primary are more liberal than in previous years, and the Republicans are more conservative.
Edison Research found that three-quarters of GOP voters described themselves as conservative, compared to 61 percent in 2012, and two-thirds of Democrats said they were liberal, compared to 46 percent in 2008. The Republicans polled said the economy, terrorism, and government spending were the most important issues, with immigration a distant fourth, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Close to two-thirds supported a temporary ban on letting non-U.S. Muslims into the country, almost half said they felt "betrayed" by Republican Party politicians, and roughly nine in 10 said they were angry or dissatisfied with the federal government.
On the Democratic side, voters were asked if they thought the economy, income inequality, health care, or terrorism was the most important issue, and the economy and income inequality were the top two choices. Slightly more than half want the next president to continue the policies of President Obama, with close to one-third saying they'd rather have more liberal policies and a tiny fraction wanting more conservative policies. Just one-third of the Democratic voters said they were very worried about the economy, about half as many as the Republicans, and most said they wanted the next president to have political experience.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An Associated Press exit poll found that nearly 4 in 10 Wisconsin Republicans are scared of a Donald Trump presidency, while about a quarter are excited about him; less than 15 percent were excited about John Kasich or Ted Cruz. More than half of Democrats said Bernie Sanders inspires them more than Hillary Clinton about the future of the country, while three-quarters said Clinton has realistic policies, compared to two-thirds who said that about Sanders.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants