AP Votecast: Mississippi voters say health care is top issue

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in Mississippi's Democratic primary ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, well above climate change, the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues.

About 4 in 10 named health care, an issue that has intensely divided the field of Democratic candidates. Roughly 2 in 10 had the economy on their minds, according to a wide-ranging AP Votecast survey of the Democratic primary electorate in Mississippi.

Here's a snapshot of Democratic voters in Mississippi — who they are and what matters to them — based on preliminary results from AP Votecast, a survey of 1,039 voters, conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

DO THEY WANT A BIG CHANGE?

Voters in Mississippi's Democratic primary were somewhat more likely to support a candidate who would restore the political system to how it was before Donald Trump was elected in 2016 than one who would bring fundamental change to Washington.

WHAT ELSE VOTERS WANT

About 9 in 10 said it was very important that a nominee can beat Trump, and about as many said it was highly important that the candidate cares about people like them and displays strong leadership.

Roughly 8 in 10 said a nominee should have "the right experience" and the best policy ideas.

Being willing to work across the aisle was considered very significant for a Democratic nominee by about 7 in 10 voters.

LARGELY UNIFIED AGAINST TRUMP

A wide majority say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump in the general election. Still, about 2 in 10 say their decision will depend on which Democrat is on the ballot in November.

PRIMARY PROCESS SKEPTICISM

Voters in Mississippi were rather confident that the Democratic Party's nomination process is fair. Roughly 4 in 10 say they are very confident that the process for selecting a presidential nominee is fair, and a similar share said they are somewhat confident. Just about 2 in 10 have little to no confidence.