"Trump Not a Factor" ... Early Exit Polling Shows Interesting Result on Trump's Place in #ALSEN race

If you’re a Republican in Alabama, it seems President Trump’s influence on the race was, as it turns out, pretty critical in deciding who to vote for or even whether or not to vote. For Democrats, the “Trump Factor” just wasn’t there. That’s what early exit polling says, as CBS reported earlier.

While nearly 6 in 10 Roy Moore voters say one reason for their choice is to express support for Pres. Trump, most of Doug Jones' supporters say Trump was not a factor in voting decision, early exit polling shows https://t.co/4ezdogashp pic.twitter.com/dlRPIu8RI3

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 12, 2017

As you can see from the graphic, it’s nearly 6 in 10 among Republicans. That is right in line with what we’ve noted in analysis here at RedState. Even without a Trump endorsement, the relative popularity of Moore, and the comparatively fervent support for him, can be in part (large part) attributed to either Trump or Trumpism in general.

I’ll have more on that later tonight. The Trump factor is critical to understanding races going forward, and not necessarily in a good way when it comes to the GOP retaining control of Congress, regardless of the outcome of tonight’s race.

Until then, here’s a little more from CBS.

President Trump – who is publicly supporting Roy Moore – seems to be a more important factor to Moore’s voters than those who are voting for Doug Jones. While nearly six in 10 Moore voters say one reason for their choice is to express support for Mr. Trump, most of Jones’ supporters say the president was not a factor in their decision — either way.

Slightly more Alabama voters do prefer the U.S. Senate be controlled by the Republican party than by the Democratic party.

At this point, Alabama voters are divided on President Trump’s job performance: 48 percent approve, while 48 percent disapprove.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not popular in Alabama – about 69 percent of voters view him unfavorably. McConnell has said that Moore should have dropped his Senate bid, over the allegations involving teenage girls. Both major political parties are viewed unfavorably by more than half of Alabama voters.

We’ll see soon enough how that turns out for Moore’s chances.