Highlights of preliminary results from exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks in Tuesday’s presidential primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont:

DIVIDED BY RACE, GENDER

While Sen. Barack Obama has made significant inroads among whites and women, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the support of her base in Ohio, winning more than two-thirds of white women and older voters. Obama won more than 9 in 10 blacks, who were about one-fifth of the voters in Ohio. Clinton won the votes of 6 in 10 white men in Ohio, a group she has lost to Obama in some recent contests.

One-fifth of white Ohio voters said race was an important issue to their vote, and those who did voted 8 in 10 for Clinton. That compares with the one in 5 Democrats in Ohio who said gender was important to their vote, and they voted 6 in 10 for Clinton.

VERMONT IS OBAMA COUNTRY

Obama’s strong showing in Vermont cut across numerous groups that Clinton usually wins, including whites, older people and women. Obama won the votes of 6 in 10 women in Vermont, nearly two-thirds of whites, and 6 in 10 of those over 60 years old. He won the votes of two-thirds of men there.

MCCAIN MAKES INROADS WITH EVANGELICALS

Four in 10 voters in the Ohio Republican primary were white, evangelical Christians, and Sen. John McCain was running close to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee among those voters. Evangelicals have been the base of support for Huckabee, who is an ordained Baptist minister.

OPEN TO ALL

The primaries in Ohio, Texas and Vermont were open to all voters, while in Rhode Island registered independents could choose which party’s primary to vote in. In Ohio, Republicans voting in the Democratic primary voted 6 in 10 for Obama, while self-described indpendents split between Clinton and Obama.

Data for Republican primaries were available only in Ohio and Texas. In Ohio, McCain won independents voting in the Republican race.

SUPERDELEGATES

Roughly six in 10 Democratic voters Tuesday said “superdelegates” - party leaders and elected officials who get to cast votes at the party nominating convention this summer in Denver - should vote based on results of the primaries and caucuses rather than for the candidate they think has the best chance to win in November.

Even among Clinton’s voters, about half said the superdelegates should follow the results of the primaries and caucuses. Obama’s supporters were more likely to say so. Clinton is trailing in pledged delegates and, depending on how the remaining primaries go, it’s possible her only chance for the nomination is if many superdelegates support her at the Democratic convention.

FRETTING ABOUT THE ECONOMY

The economy was big in Ohio Democratic voters’ minds - six in 10 said it’s the most important issue facing the country, more than said so in any of the other 25 Democratic primaries with exit polls this year. More than half of Rhode Island Democrats and nearly as many in Texas picked the economy as the top issue out of three choices. In Vermont, almost as many voters picked Iraq as selected the economy - the first Democratic contest this year in which Iraq was considered about as important as the economy.

As in other Democratic primaries this year, few voters Tuesday viewed the nation’s economy positively. But Texas Democrats were relatively optimistic, with one in seven saying the economy is in good condition - as many as have said that in any other state.

THE TRADE TRADE-OFF

A whopping eight in 10 voters in Ohio’s Democratic primary said international trade takes more jobs from the state than it creates. The split was closer to six in 10 in the other three states voting Tuesday.

WORRIED ABOUT FINANCES

Asked how worried they were about their family’s financial situation over the next year, two-thirds of Democratic primary voters in Texas and at least seven in 10 in the other three states said they were very or somewhat worried. Ohio Democrats were most concerned, with four in 10 saying they were very worried.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

One in seven Obama voters viewed Clinton as more qualified to be commander in chief; fewer than one in 20 Clinton voters said that about Obama.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

Four in 10 Clinton voters in Ohio and Texas said Obama inspires them about the future of the country. Somewhat fewer Clinton voters in Rhode Island but two-thirds in Vermont gave Obama kudos for being inspirational. Obama voters were much less likely to call Clinton inspirational - about a quarter of them said that across the four states.

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Results from partial statewide samples of voters in 40 precincts each in Ohio and Texas and 20 each in Rhode Island and Vermont as well as a telephone survey of early voters in Texas. Fieldwork by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. Sample sizes ranged from 364 voters in the Rhode Island Democratic primary to 1,453 in the Texas Democratic contest.

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