Trump way ahead of Harris among Utah voters in presidential race

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SALT LAKE CITY — As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are traveling to swing states across the country to make their final pitch to voters, the race in Utah is all but decided.

A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by HarrisX shows Trump is polling 30 percentage points ahead of Harris among Utah voters, with just over a week to go before Election Day.

The poll shows Trump with 61% support among Utah voters, compared to 30% for Harris. Another 2% say they'll vote for independent candidate Cornel West, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein garners 1% support, and 6% of voters say they're unsure.

When including which way undecided voters are leaning, Trump's support among Utah voters increases to 63%, Harris' to 31%, West to 4%, and Stein to 2%.

Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, said Trump is seeing more success this year in Utah than in past presidential elections.

"Donald Trump currently holds a strong position in Utah's presidential race, polling at 61%," he said. "Over recent election cycles, his support among Utah voters has grown, with his share increasing from 46% in 2016 to 58% in 2020. As the election approaches, he appears to once again be in a strong position in the Beehive State."

The poll was conducted by HarrisX Interactive Oct. 15-19, among 813 registered Utah voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

Harris and Trump have both reached out to Latter-day Saint voters

Trump's support over Harris in Utah holds across all demographics, including young voters ages 18-34 (61%), women (56%), and Hispanic voters (63%). Among Latter-day Saints in Utah, 67% say they're supporting Trump, compared to 23% for Harris.

Trump and Harris have delivered pitches directly to Latter-day Saint voters, with an eye on sizable populations of Latter-day Saints in Arizona and Nevada, which are both swing states.

At a campaign rally in Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this month, Harris told Latter-day Saint voters, "We have so much more in common than what separates us, especially on the fundamentals. And so, with that, I say that I am committed to all of you to be a president for all Americans and to work as we must together again."

In Trump's pitch to Latter-day Saint voters during a "virtual fireside" earlier this month, he said he shares the "same values" as Latter-day Saints. "We believe in family, we believe in parental rights. We believe, in fact, that religious freedom is the foundation of all our freedoms," he said .

Trump, Harris approval ratings in Utah

Trump enjoys better approval ratings among Utah voters than Harris, with 56% saying they have very favorable or somewhat favorable opinions of Trump, compared to 33% for Harris.

Another 39% of Utah voters have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, and 63% say the same about Harris.

The two vice presidential candidates do somewhat worse than their running mates.

Trump's running mate, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, is seen favorably by 47% of Utah voters, while 31% view him unfavorably, 13% say they have no opinion and 9% say they've never heard of him.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' Democratic running mate, is viewed favorably by 32% of Utah voters, compared to 43% who view him unfavorably. Another 14% say they have no opinion, and 11% have never heard of him.

Election Day is Nov. 5, but in Utah most ballots are returned ahead of the election.

Related topics

U.S. electionsUtahPoliticsU.S.

Suzanne Bates

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Suzanne Bates is the national politics editor for Deseret News.