Regardless of the financial condition of their state, voters in Tuesday’s Republican primaries considered the economy the top issue influencing their choice. 
 
 And even though the debate in the last few weeks has often involved other issues — like contraception, or women in combat, there was very little evidence of a gender gap among the leading candidates in several of the major states in play on Tuesday, and very few voters mentioned abortion as a deciding factor. 
 
 In Ohio, Mitt Romney was favored by better-educated, more affluent and older voters. Very conservative voters and those who strongly support the Tea Party backed Rick Santorum. Roman Catholics preferred Mr. Romney and evangelical Christians chose Mr. Santorum, who is Catholic, according to the exit poll. 
 
 In Tennessee, Mr. Santorum secured the support of those with lower incomes, as well as very conservative voters and evangelical Christians, while those in higher income brackets favored Mr. Romney. 
 
 Mr. Romney handily captured Massachusetts, winning a majority of voters in every group, including conservative groups that have been gravitating more often to Mr. Santorum. Although about half of the voters said the state’s 2006 health insurance law — which was put in place when Mr. Romney was governor — went too far, they gave about 70 percent of their vote to him. Those who were better off financially tended to be the ones who expressed more dismay at the law’s reach. 
 
 Newt Gingrich prevailed in his native state, Georgia, doing best with older and less educated voters and those who live in small towns and rural areas. Men and women backed Mr. Gingrich about equally. “I’m a Georgia girl, and I just love Newt,” said Patches Mongeon, 38, a wholesale accounts manager voting in Atlanta. 
 
 In Ohio, unemployment is at 7.7 percent, lower than the national rate of 8.3 percent. Still, more than half of voters in Ohio considered the economy the most important issue; about a quarter pointed to the federal budget deficit. About three-quarters said they were very worried about the direction of the nation’s economy. 
 
 Among voters in Georgia, where the unemployment rate is above the national average and the foreclosure rate is one of the highest in the country, nearly 6 in 10 selected the economy as the top issue. It also mattered most for nearly 6 in 10 voters in Massachusetts, which has one of the highest median incomes and low unemployment. In Oklahoma, Vermont and Virginia, voters for whom the economy was the top issue also backed Mr. Romney. 
 
 More than 7 in 10 voters said the price of gas was an important factor in their vote. Less affluent voters were more likely to say that gas prices affected their vote choice, particularly in Georgia. 
 
 Although Mr. Romney had trouble in Georgia and Tennessee with very conservative voters, he did win a majority of the primarygoers in Georgia with an advanced degree and of the voters whose family income was over $200,000. Both of these groups also favored Mr. Romney in Tennessee, as did, moderates, Tea Party opponents, those favoring abortion rights and those looking for a candidate who can beat Obama. 
 
 In the earlier contests, Ron Paul did very well with younger voters — getting a sizable portion of those under 30 in some states, where he received a smaller percentage of the overall vote than other candidates. 
 
 Tuesday was no exception. About 3 in 10 under 30 in Ohio and Tennessee voted for Mr. Paul. In Virginia, where he and Mr. Romney were the only candidates on the ballot, Mr. Paul received more than 60 percent of the votes of those under 30 (in fact about 60 percent of those under 45). The “younger” vote, however, does not have much of an impact in the Republican primaries — about 10 percent or less in the contests on Tuesday were under 30. 
 
 “He’s the only candidate talking about limiting the size of government, reducing the debt and maintaining personal liberties,” said Matt Martin, 29, a youth minister in Smyrna, Ga., who voted with his toddler and infant in tow. “All the other choices are votes for more government and more big government.” 
 
 Although Mr. Romney was regarded as the conservative alternative to John McCain when he ran for the nomination four years ago, many voters on Tuesday saw Mr. Romney as not conservative enough. At the same time, Mr. Santorum and Mr. Paul were seen as too conservative. Mr. Gingrich was the only candidate whose positions were selected as “about right” by most primary voters. 
 
 Fred Russo, 70, and his wife, Estelle, 65, also came to the polls to vote for Mr. Romney at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Willowick, Ohio, a small suburb about 20 miles east of Cleveland. “I would prefer someone more conservative, but it’s important to beat Obama,” he said. 
 
 In earlier primaries, with the exception of South Carolina, Mr. Romney did best with voters who were looking for a candidate who can defeat President Obama. On Tuesday, 4 in 10 of those voters backed Mr. Romney in Tennessee, while a third voted for Mr. Gingrich. Almost half of these voters backed Mr. Gingrich in Georgia, but almost as many supported Mr. Romney in Oklahoma. 
 
 In the rest of the states on Tuesday, Mr. Romney received a majority. The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for a consortium of the television networks and The Associated Press and included in-person interviews with voters as they were leaving polling places across the state and telephone interviews with early and absentee voters. ||||| Voters in Cobb County, one of the largest precincts in the state, participate in the Georgia GOP primary on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, at Noonday Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga. (Credit: AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Bob Andres) 
 
 Updated at 6 p.m. ET 
 
 Gas prices were an important factor for a significant majority of voters in primary states today, according to CBS News early exit polling. And as in other states that have voted in the Republican presidential nominating contests, the economy is the top issue for primary voters today, and electability remains the most important candidate quality. 
 
 At least seven out of 10 voters in all seven primary states today said gas prices were an "important" factor in their decision, the early exit polling shows. The issue matters most to voters in Georgia, where 81 percent said it was important. The issue was significant in other Southern states as well: 79 percent of Oklahoma primary voters called it important, as did 77 percent of Tennessee voters. 
 
 That may be good news for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has campaigned in recent days on a promise to bring gas prices down to $2.50. Gingrich, who has only won one nominating contest so far, is hoping strong performances in Southern states will revive his campaign. 
 
 Gingrich makes a play for Tennessee 
 
 Obama says he wants lower gas prices 
 
 Super Tuesday represents the biggest day in the race for the Republican nomination so far. All told, 419 total delegates at stake in 10 states -- more delegates than have been awarded in all of the previous nominating contests combined. 
 
 CBS News is conducting exit polls in the states holding primaries, interviewing voters in person as they leave polling places. The three states holding caucuses this evening do not have entrance or exit polls. 
 
 In spite of today's significance, no one will be able to formally clinch the nomination Tuesday. It takes 1,144 delegates for a candidate to formally take the nomination, leaving the contenders with a long way to do. Furthermore, none of Tuesday's contests is winner-take-all. Instead, all 10 states are awarding delegates proportionally, either based on the outcome in congressional districts, a candidate's percentage of the statewide vote, or a combination of the two. 
 
 As in previous contests, early exit polling shows that the economy is the most important issue for voters Tuesday. The issue dominates in Massachusetts and Georgia, where 58 percent of voters in both states called it the most important issue. In Oklahoma, by comparison, just 47 percent called the economy the top issue. 
 
 Additionally, voters in Tuesday's primary states say that beating President Obama in November is the candidate quality that matters the most. Electability matters the most in Georgia, where 46 percent said it was the most important quality; the next most important quality in Georgia was having the right experience, which 20 percent called the most important. Another 18 percent of Georgia voters were most interested in a "true conservative." 
 
 Full Republican delegate scorecard 
 
 Nationwide primary results so far 
 
 Electability matters the least in Vermont tonight -- though it was still the most important candidate quality -- at 33 percent. Another 25 percent of Vermont voters said they were most interested in a candidate with strong character, while 21 percent were looking for a candidate with the right experience. 
 
 The seven states holding primaries today are: Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. An additional three states are holding caucuses: Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota. 
 
 The states voting today are largely Republican-leaning, which may be fitting, since the GOP electorate has yet to coalesce around a nominee. CBS News estimates that so far, Mitt Romney has picked up 187 delegates, Rick Santorum has collected 65, Newt Gingrich has 30, and Ron Paul has collected 20. 
 
 In four of the most closely watched states -- Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and Oklahoma -- at least a quarter of voters made up their minds in the last few days, according to the early exit polling. Most decided on their candidate before that. 
 
 In Ohio, 42 percent of Romney's supporters say they strongly favor him, but a similar percentage, 44 percent, have reservations about him. Another 12 percent said they simply disliked the other candidates. 
 
 Similarly, 38 percent of Santorum's Ohio supporters strongly favor him, but more (46 percent) have reservations about him. Fourteen percent said they voted for him because they disliked the other candidates. 
 
 Three in four Romney supporters in Ohio say they will definitely support the Republican nominee in the fall. But slightly fewer Santorum supporters (six in 10) say they will definitely back the GOP nominee in November.
– Super Tuesday voters handed victories to three different candidates, but Republicans in all 10 states shared similar concerns, exit polls found. The economy was the number one issue in every state. Despite the recent focus on social issues, few voters names abortion as their chief concern, and there was little evidence of a gender gap in what issue voters considered important, the New York Times finds. As in earlier primaries, Mitt Romney enjoyed the support of wealthier voters, while evangelicals and voters who consider themselves very conservative leaned toward Rick Santorum. Ron Paul did well among voters under 30. Gas prices were an important factor for a majority of voters, especially in the South, where 81% called it a major issue, according to CBS. Newt Gingrich—who labeled Romney the candidate of high-priced gas—won the state by a big margin.