Early exit poll: ‘Strong leader’ top trait for next president

More voters in an early exit poll released Tuesday said they want a “strong leader” for their next president over any other trait. 

Thirty-six percent rank that quality as most important in the Morning Consult/Politico exit poll.

{mosads}Twenty-nine percent pick “a vision for the future,” while 16 percent hope for someone who “cares about people like me.” Sixteen percent desire a leader who “shares my values.”

Pollsters also found voters are struggling with largely negative emotions as they pick President Obama’s successor.

Eighty-five percent “just want” the 2016 race to end, while 72 percent said they are “anxious” about its outcome.

Seventy-one percent are “nervous” about the results, while 53 percent are “angry” and 50 percent are “sad.” 

Forty-eight percent, meanwhile, noted they are “overwhelmed” and 39 percent are “depressed” as the latest presidential election closes.

Politico said just 18 percent of voters hoped for a “strong leader” in its 2012 exit survey.

Politico/Morning Consult conducted its early exit poll of 6,882 early and Election Day voters via online interviews from Oct. 18 to Nov. 8. It has a margin of error of 1 percentage point. 

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has made strong leadership a central tenet of his message to voters.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads him by about 3 points nationwide, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls.