WASHINGTON — Americans emphatically declared their anger at government Tuesday as they elected a political outsider who failed to generate much excitement but offered the prospect of change.
Exit polls recorded the simmering discontent of the American electorate.
Four in 10 voters said they were hungry for change, and those voters overwhelmingly favored Republican Donald Trump. Smaller voting blocs who were seeking a candidate with good judgment, experience or who cared about them favored vanquished Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.
Nearly 7 in 10 voters said they were unhappy with the way the government is working, including a quarter who said they were outright angry, according to preliminary results of exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research.
Three-fourths of those angry voters backed Trump. Six in 10 voters said the country is on the wrong track.
Other findings from the exit poll:
TRUMP'S WORKING-CLASS WHITES TRUMP CLINTON'S COALITION
Trump won by dominating among white voters, especially non-college-educated men, trumping Clinton's coalition of women, minorities and young people.