Election analysis: the rednecks won

The Los Angeles Times analysis the results of the presidential election:

According to a nationwide Times exit poll of voters leaving polling places, more than half of Bush's voters cited moral issues as a principal reason for their support —
— more than any other issue, including even terrorism. In fact, morals trumped terrorism by seven percentage points in the Los Angeles Times poll.(...)

By contrast, nearly half of Kerry voters named the economy as their top concern — nearly double the number that picked moral issues.(...)

Just as in 2000, Bush on Tuesday mobilized a massive coalition of culturally conservative Americans, centered on married families, rural voters, and people who own guns or attend church regularly. Although Bush continued to enjoy overwhelming support from his conservative base, he had made only limited progress at expanding his reach among voters beyond it.

Kerry's coalition represented the mirror image of Bush's: He ran best among singles, urban voters and those who don't own guns or attend church regularly. Kerry also received a big boost from first-time voters, most of them young people, who tilted sharply in his direction, the Times Poll found.