In the last few days leading up before the election, we talked a lot about how Mitt Romney was consistently doing well among independent voters, usually far better than President Obama. As it turns out, according to exit polls, Romney did do well among independents on Election Day. In Ohio and Virginia, Romney won independents by a ten-point margin. In Colorado, Romney had a 4-point lead among independents, and in Pennsylvania, he had a 5-point lead. In Nevada, Romney beat Obama by 8 points among independents. 

Now there were states where Obama won independents: including Florida, where he led by 3 points;  Iowa, where Obama won independents by a whopping 14 points; and New Hampshire, where he led  by 7 points. 

Overall, though, these exit polls show that in key states, it’s not enough to win independents, even by a double-digit margin.