POLITICAL BRIEFING

APPEAL PROBLEMS: “Electability” was the spark behind Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton’s early drive to the forefront of the Democratic presidential contest. But a close look at exit polls in New Hampshire, where Clinton finished second to former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas in last Tuesday’s primary, raises questions about Clinton’s chances in November. In The Times’ exit poll of Democratic voters, 21% said they would not support Clinton in the general election, compared to 10% who said that about Tsongas. Only former California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr., who finished fifth, elicited more negative responses. In the Republican primary, exit poll results suggested that Patrick J. Buchanan needs to work on his image with women as he battles President Bush. The Times’ exit poll showed that Buchanan won almost half the men’s votes--46%--but lost women voters to Bush by 66% to 29%. Final returns showed that Bush got 53% of the overall vote and Buchanan got 37%.