With all the talk about "the middle" this campaign season, it's interesting to note that...

[TwilightZone]

Hillary won moderates 52/41.

Apropos of nothing, really. The exit polls just revealed some things that are kind of interesting to me. I'm a bit of a stats nut, if an amateurish one. Some things take on a little more significance in light of the narrow gaps in some states.

People who made up their minds in the last week went 50/38 Trump. The Comey effect? The massive Trump ad buys?
People who made up their minds in October: 50/37 Trump
People who made up their minds in September: 50/46 Trump
People who decided before then: 52/45 Hillary.

Hello, early voting.

Also of note: 12% of people who decided in the last week and 13% who decided in October voted other. Prior to that, only 4% and 3%, respectively.

10% of self-identified liberals voted for Trump. 6% more voted other.

9% of Democrats voted for Trump. 29% of Latinos. 29% of Asians.

26% of people who identified as non-religious voted for Trump. And 81% of evangelicals.

14% of GLBT voters voted for Trump.

17% of people who opposed the border wall voted for Hillary.

10% of people who approved of Obama's job performance voted for Trump.

Hillary easily won the under-30 crowd, 55/37

Veterans went 61/34 Trump

Top issues
Foreign policy: Hillary 60/34
Economy: Hillary 52/42
Immigration: Trump 64/32
Terrorism: Trump 57/39

So...it wasn't primarily the economy as some have asserted, at least not nationally. Not even close, really.



Source: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/08/us/politics/election-exit-polls.html

[dsc]

1. That is the lowest percent of LGBT

To vote Republican since they've started counting it

[TwilightZone]

4. Down 8% from 2012, according to the poll.

Romney got 22% in 2012. 22% to 14% -- that's a substantial change.

[NCTraveler]

2. And she won the popular vote.

What those stats are suppose to be reflective of. It's a regional game.

[TwilightZone]

3. Agreed.

It kind of puts in perspective, though, how relatively small swings in the electorate would have made a difference. And how assumptions "we" make aren't 100% - often, not even in the ballpark.

And how fickle politics is. And voters. I read somewhere that 5% of the people who wanted *more* liberal policies than Obama's voted for Trump. It would be funny if it weren't so frustrating.

And, none of this even touches on turnout. Great in some places; not so much in others. Hillary won Harris County, TX (Houston) by more than Trump won a dozen states. It was a rather strange election.