President Barack Obama's bailout of the auto industry was popular with voters in the crucial swing state of Ohio, according to preliminary exit poll results.
Voters approved of the auto rescue by a 59% to 36% margin. Of those 75% voted for President Obama.
The bailouts and Mitt Romney's Let Detroit Go Bankrupt op-ed was one of Obama's strongest battle cries while campaigning in the industrial Midwest.
Frank Benenati, a spokesman for Obama's campaign, said the auto bailout saved more than 1 million jobs and created thousands of new ones. Analysts believe the auto rescue and the improved economy in Ohio may determine who wins the Buckeye State and, by extension, the presidency.
The exit poll results also show Obama is doing much better among working class white voters in Ohio than nationally. Obama is polling at 43% with white working-class voters in Ohio, compared to 35% nationally.