WASHINGTON - Many Republicans voting in US presidential primary elections on Super Tuesday said immigration was their top issue and that immigrants in the country illegally should be deported, a campaign pledge made by Donald Trump.

The contests in North Carolina, Virginia and California appeared particularly focused on immigration, according to the preliminary results of exit polls conducted on March 5 by Edison Research. They showed that:

• 43 per cent of North Carolina voters said immigration mattered most when deciding how they would vote in the contest, compared to 31 per cent who said the economy mattered most. 11 per cent cited abortion policy and 9 per cent said foreign policy.

• In Virginia, immigration was also the top concern, while in California, voters were slightly more likely to say the economy mattered most, with immigration cited nearly as often.

• 60 per cent of voters in North Carolina’s Republican primary do not think current President Joe Biden was legitimately elected, compared to 46 per cent in Virginia and 57 per cent in California.

• 64 per cent of North Carolina voters said that if former President Donald Trump were convicted of a crime, he would still be fit for the presidency, while 32 per cent said he would not be fit. In Virginia, 53 per cent said he would be fit, while in California, 68 per cent said he would be fit.

• In North Carolina, 62 per cent thought immigrants without legal status should be deported and 34 per cent said they should be able to apply for legal status. In Virginia, 59 per cent said they should be deported, while in California, 69 per cent said they should be deported.

•  23 per cent of Republican primary voters in North Carolina consider themselves moderate or liberal, compared to 35 per cent in Virginia and 31 per cent in California.

• 44 per cent of voters in North Carolina had a college degree, compared to 52 per cent in Virginia and 42 per cent in California.

• 34 per cent of North Carolina’s Republican primary voters usually think of themselves as independents, compared to 29 per cent in Virginia and 32 per cent in California.

• Whites who consider themselves evangelical or born-again Christians made up 52 per cent of North Carolina’s voters, compared to 36 per cent in Virginia and 22 per cent in California.

  Updated results for the Super Tuesday exit polls will be available as more responses to the polls are gathered. REUTERS