Posted on 04/25/2015 3:38:07 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
SALT LAKE CITY — Now that Utah's favorite son Mitt Romney is no longer a candidate for president, "undecided" is the top choice of the state's Republicans in the party's 2016 nomination race.
A new UtahPolicy.com poll found that just over one-fourth, 26 percent, of Utah Republicans haven't picked a preferred presidential candidate yet. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was the candidate with the most support so far, 22 percent.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a close ally of Utah Sen. Mike Lee, followed with 13 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who like Cruz and Lee is aligned with the tea party movement, was favored by 9 percent.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker had the support of 6 percent of Utah Republicans, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, another candidate tied to the tea party movement, had 6 percent. Other candidates all polled at 5 percent or less.
The poll was conducted March 30-April 7 by Dan Jones & Associates of nearly 300 Utah voters who said they were Republicans, and has a margin of error of plus or minus approximately 6 percent.
"The poll probably reflects that Republicans really don't know these other candidates," state Republican Party Chairman James Evans said. "We wouldn't have this problem if we just had Mitt Romney on the ticket."
Evans said he is still holding out hope Romney will make a third run for the White House, an idea the former leader of the 2002 Winter Olympics toyed with but rejected earlier this year.
"I just don't see any of these candidates capturing a commanding lead," Evans said.
Utah Republicans will cast their ballots for their presidential pick either online or at their mass caucus meetings next year on March 22.
University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank said with so many GOP contenders, it's no surprise there's no clear favorite this early in the race for the White House.
"Utah voters are used to saying Mitt Romney is their choice," Burbank said. "With this group, I think what you see is the same problem Republicans in general are having. They have a lot of candidates."
Democrats are in the opposite situation, with former first lady, senator and secretary of state Hillary Clinton already viewed as the likely nominee. Fifty-seven percent of Utah Democrats want her to be their party's nominee for 2016.
But one-quarter of the nearly 100 Democrats in the same Utah poll like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has said repeatedly she isn't running for president despite a strong push from the left wing of the party.
Vice President Joe Biden, who also is not in the race, is backed by 9 percent of the nearly 100 Utah voters who said they were Democrats. Their results have a margin of error of plus or minus about 10 percent.
Clinton became the first 2016 presidential candidate to hire staff in Utah, naming Ben Haynes, who worked on Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill's re-election and the Count My Vote initiative, the state's grass-roots organizer for the campaign.
The hire is part of the Clinton campaign's "Ramp Up Grassroots Organizing Program" to place staff in all 50 states by the end of May.
Utah Democratic Party Chairman Peter Corroon said the position may only be temporary. Utah is, after all, one of the most Republican states in the nation and has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
"Still, we're excited to have a candidate have an operation here," Corroon said. "It's always good to have anybody in Utah working with our votes and working with our elected officials from either side of the aisle."
At this point, these polls are largely name recognition driven. But, even at this early stage, Cruz is polling very well, as people know a great leader and speaker when they hear one. The more people get to hear Ted speak, the higher he is going to rise in GOP polls.
Let’s hope so, but UT has never produced anyone good but Mike Lee. Orrin Grant Hatch is really bad.
Given the stark political diffenences between Bush and Cruz, I wonder what the educational, wealth, or whatever differences between the groups are.
Agree that Hatch is one of the worst of the Democrats in an R jersey
This is how we get RINOS. The conservative vote is so fragmented we are almost assured to get a Rockeffler pubbie. Conservatives need on more than three candidates and I would argue two would be assured to deny a liberal nomination. For all candidates in single digits a month before New Hampshire get out. And if you are a conservative candidate in double digits but third place back or further, get out. Don’t split the conservative vote. Put the nation ahead of your political career. Do it because it is the right thing to do!
See my tagline.
Shoulda spell checked the Rockeffler thing....
Do you know of a way I can send a paper check to him? His campaign will take credit cards and check routing numbers. However I don’t do anything over the internet so... I want to contribute and support but I have no venue. Same for Mike Lee. I will call their offices Monday.
I sincerely hope that neither Jeb nor Rubio is nominated. Rubio is the current favorite of the Anybody But Jeb crowd. They point out that he’s young, articulate, charismatic, and can draw a crowd. Do you remember what happened the last time America chose a junior senator as our president, just because he was young, articulate, charismatic, and could draw a crowd? That didn’t work out too well for our country, did it?
Rubio is naive, inexperienced, and easily manipulated by the corrupt Old Guard Republicans and their well-heeled cronies. If he becomes president, those senile old crooks will play him like a fiddle.
And I certainly don’t want Jeb to be nominated. He’s running for president for the same reason Hillary is: he thinks he’s entitled, because it’s “his turn”.
The American voters have no use for royalty.
Not really true. Wikipedia has a listing of U.S. political families by letter of last name. It is a very long listing and still incomplete. If not royalty, then political families pretty much rule.
This has happened for years too in congressional primaries all over the Midwest in particular.
There are a LOT of conservatives, who, if they find a fellow conservative disagrees with them on 15% of the issues, will loudly proclaim "I will NEVER vote for _____________________."
If you want a candidate who is 99% with you, buy an island, start your own country, and elect yourself, because you will die (and the USA will die) waiting for Mr. Perfect.
Agreed. We seem to have too many egos.
Correct. In life all one can do is the best you can, more is better but some is better than none.
At this point, these polls are largely name recognition.....
_____________________________________________________________
Exactly. But, the good news here is Jeb Bush at 22%. The guy is from a family dynasty spanning decades and a former governor; yet, Jeb dude is only at 22%. I’d say that’s good news.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.