Exit polls in Wisconsin show that Romney has begun to compete for those voters who had been stubbornly holding out on him: evangelicals, self-described ‘very conservative’ voters, Tea Party supporters, and voters making under $50,000 per year.
Via the Washington Post:
Exit polls available late Tuesday showed Romney nearly equaling Rick Santorum among the most obstinate group — evangelical Christians — with 43 percent backing Santorum and 38 percent backing Romney. That’s Romney’s best performance in a contested state since Jan. 10 in New Hampshire (which wasn’t very competitive).
Among voters making less than $50,000 and strong supporters of the tea party, Romney outpaced Santorum by 11 percent and 2 percent, respectively. The only previous competitive primary in which Romney won both of those demographics was in Illinois on March 20, when he carried them both narrowly.
And perhaps most illustrative, Romney tied Santorum among voters who described themselves as “very conservative” at 43 percent. Even in neighboring Illinois and Michigan, Romney lost that demographic by double digits.