Early exit polls showed a wide difference between Democrats and Republicans on whether they wanted a candidate to "have experience" or to "be an outsider." And that trend bore out across states — across the first nine Democratic contests, 74 to 86 percent of voters wanted a candidate who had experience. On the GOP side, it was only 34 to 46 percent.
And though Sanders is by no means inexperienced in politics, Clinton is the clear choice of Democratic voters who prioritize experience. Trump, meanwhile, is the quintessential outsider.
Given this stat, it's not at all a surprise that Clinton and Trump had such strong nights.
Read the full 4 Takeaways From The Super Tuesday Exit Polls NPR article here.