Shock Utah Poll: Trump and Hillary Tied, McMullin Close Behind

A new poll of likely voters in Utah finds the Republican nominee for president tied with the Democrat—a remarkable development in a state that has voted for every GOP nominee since 1964. In the new Deseret News poll, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are tied among voters in the Beehive State at 26 percent. Furthermore, independent conservative candidate Evan McMullin, a Utah native, has surged to 22 percent support. Libertarian party nominee Gary Johnson grabs 14 percent support in the poll.

Here’s more from the News:

The poll shows that 94 percent of Utahns have watched or heard about the video in which Trump had an extremely lewd conversation about women caught on a hot microphone in 2005. Y2 Analytics managing partner Scott Riding called that high percentage “astounding” for political news. Those who viewed the video felt more strongly that Trump should step aside than those who only heard about it, according to the poll. Republicans, however, are split over whether Trump should go…. Gov. Gary Herbert and Utah Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Chris Stewart were among those announcing they would no longer vote for their party’s nominee. The Deseret News called for Trump to resign his candidacy.

According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, Trump had a 13-point lead in Utah. But the last public poll of the state was taken in September, when the GOP nominee was at his best point nationally since the party conventions.

McMullin, who graduated from Utah’s Brigham Young University and is a practicing Mormon, has a unique foothold in a state with a very large Mormon population. The state is home to his campaign headquarters, and it’s where the former CIA agent has seen his best poll numbers.

Read more about McMullin’s bid in this recent WEEKLY STANDARD profile of the independent conservative.

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