Most Iowa Republican caucus-goers say Trump fit to be president if convicted

By Alexandra Ulmer and Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Immigration and the economy were on Iowan Republicans' minds as they entered their party's caucuses on Monday to select a Republican presidential candidate, according to preliminary findings of an entrance poll conducted by Edison Research.

Following are highlights from the poll based on interviews with 1,177 Iowa Republicans. The results will be updated as more interviews are collected.

* 37% of caucus-goers said the economy was the issue that mattered most in deciding who to vote for on Monday, compared to 36% who cited immigration, while the rest said foreign policy or abortion.

* 60% said they favor a federal law that would ban abortions nationwide.

* 66% said they did not think Democrat Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency in 2020.

* 64% said they decided who to support in the presidential nomination contest before this month.

* 63% said Donald Trump would still be fit to be president if he were convicted of a crime.

* 47% said they considered themselves part of the MAGA movement, a reference to Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan. 49% said they were not part of that movement.

* 12% said the most important quality a Republican presidential nominee should have is the ability to beat Biden, compared to 43% who said shared values mattered most.

Edison Research conducted the poll on behalf of the National Election Pool, a consortium of news organizations including Reuters.

(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Deepa Babington)