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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Republicans Go for Hillary in TX, Ohio Primaries?

Q: Did 10 percent of Hillary’s votes come from "Limbaugh Democrats" in the Ohio and Texas primaries?
A: According to exit polls, she didn’t get that many of her votes from Republicans, and it’s hard to know how many of those she did get were the result of Rush Limbaugh’s exhortations.

Obama’s Small Donations

Q: Was Obama correct to say 90% of his money comes from donors giving $50 or less?
A: No. He gets more from small donors than either Clinton or McCain, but two-thirds of his money still comes from those giving $200 or more.

What Some CEOs Make in 10 Minutes

Q: Is Obama right to say some CEOs make more in 10 minutes than an average worker does in a year?

A: By our calculations only Steve Jobs did so in 2006.

Clinton vs. Bush: Middle Income Taxes

Q: Do middle-income persons pay lower federal income taxes under Bush than they did under Bill Clinton?
A: Yes, middle-income taxpayers pay less, but not nearly as much less as claimed in a widely circulated chain e-mail. Moreover, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton propose additional middle-income cuts, contrary to what the message insinuates.

Ohio Primary and the General Election

Q: Has any presidential candidate won the general election without winning the Ohio primary?
A: Yes. Richard Nixon did it in 1968, and John Kennedy in 1960. But "favorite son" candidates won the Ohio contest both those years.

McCain Voting With Democrats More Than GOP?

Q: Is it true that even though John McCain calls himself a Republican, he has sided more with the Dems than with the Repubs?

A: Not true at all. He voted in support of President Bush 95 percent of the time last year, for example.

Violent Crimes and Handgun Ownership

Q: Are violent crimes more or less common in areas where handgun ownership is higher?
A:
Some studies have found that murder rates (not crime rates in general) are higher where guns are more prevalent. But social scientists have not found a direct causal relationship between the two factors.