Poll: Huntsman tops Hatch in Senate primary matchup

Longtime Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, trails former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman in a hypothetical Senate primary matchup by a significant margin, and could face opposition from voters if he seeks an eighth term in office, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The poll, conducted by the Salt Lake Tribune and the Hinckley Institute for Politics, shows that Huntsman, who returned to Utah after serving as ambassador to China under former President Obama, leads with 62 percent support to Hatch’s 21 percent.