EXIT POLLS MIDDLE CLASS MOVES RIGHT . . .

The Republican victory can be attributed to the middle class -- once the kingdom of the Democrats -- switching allegiances, according to Tuesday exit poll data released today. More than half the voters in the $30,000 to $50,000 income bracket sided with the GOP this year, up sharply from 43 percent in the 1990 midterm elections. Another GOP voter marker: education: Exit polls show that only those without a high school diploma and those with postgraduate degrees were firmly Democratic. The vast middle ground of voters with high school or college degrees voted Republican. Baby boomers, a majority of whom have eschewed the GOP in the past, also shifted loyalties. More than half those age 30 to 44 voted Republican on Tuesday, compared with 42 percent in 1990. But by and large, women remained Democratic: Slightly more than half picked Democrats on Tuesday, nearly the same as the 1990 tally. But white males abandoned the party in droves -- 57 percent voted Republican, up from about half in '90.The exit polls were conducted by the Voter News Service -- a cooperative effort of ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and The Associated Press.Post your opinion to theElection '94bulletin board

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