Factbox-Most South Carolina Republicans see Biden's 2020 win as illegitimate-exit poll

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to members of the press after a weekend in Delaware, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Bonnie Cash/File Photo

By Jason Lange and Alexandra Ulmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some 65% of voters in South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary contest do not think Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, according to the preliminary results of an exit poll conducted on Saturday by Edison Research.

The poll gathered responses from 1,508 voters in the Republican contest. Updated results will be available as more responses are gathered.

* 65% of voters said that if former President Donald Trump were convicted of a crime, he would still be fit for the presidency. 32% said he would not be fit for the office if convicted.

* 20% consider themselves moderate or liberal, compared to 19% in the party’s 2016 primary.

* Whites who consider themselves evangelical or born-again Christians made up 61% of voters, compared to 39% in the 2016 primary.

* 84% said the condition of the U.S. economy is not-so-good or poor, while 16% say it is excellent or good.

* 31% of voters said the economy mattered most when deciding how they would vote in the contest, compared to 41% who said immigration mattered most. 10% cited abortion policy and 11% said foreign policy.

* 43% of voters had a college degree, compared to 54% in the party’s 2016 primary.

* 4% of voters usually think of themselves as Democrats, compared to 2% in the party’s 2016 primary.

* 7% said they decided who to vote for in the last week.

(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Alexandra Ulmer in Columbia, South Carolina, editing by Ross Colvin)