Taxes came second, followed by world affairs and the combination of Social Security and Medicare, which were tied for third. McCain's push to reform campaign finances evidently struck a chord, however. Four out of five voters said campaign finance reform could help the country, and registered Republicans who felt that way voted for McCain by a 2-1 margin, according to Voter News Service exit polls. When asked whether it should be a higher priority for the president to strengthen Social Security or cut taxes, voters in the GOP primary were evenly split. In the hard-fought Democratic race, Bradley drew strength from independents, those who viewed President Clinton unfavorably and voters who thought personal qualities were more important than issues.
Character has to come first.
And McCain was the top vote-getter among voters who valued most candidate qualities. Almost nine of 10 voters in the Republican primary said they were satisfied with their choice of candidates, far more than expressed satisfaction four years ago, according to the exit polls. In the 1996 New Hampshire GOP primary, four out of 10 voters said they wanted another choice in the race in which Pat Buchanan beat Bob Dole, the eventual nominee. The entire voter sample was generally split on whether McCain or Bush would have the best chance to win the presidency in November, though Bush had a slight edge on that question. That blunted one of the Bush campaign's biggest selling points, his presumed chances in the general election.