Poll: Utah would support Democrat if Trump becomes Republican presidential nominee

[Beacool]

March 20, 2016

According to a new Deseret News/KSL poll, if Donald Trump becomes the GOP nominee, the voters of Utah would opt for a Democratic candidate for the first time in over 50 years. Poll respondents said they would support either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders over Trump, though Clinton was only two points ahead of Trump in the poll, falling within the poll's margin of error (as opposed to the 11 points Sanders has over Trump). As many as 16 percent of respondents said they would skip the election, altogether, if Trump was the nominee. Either John Kasich or Ted Cruz would defeat the Democratic candidate if they were nominated.

It's only one poll, but that didn't prevent it from shocking Chris Karpowitz, the co-director of Brigham Young University's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. Said Karpowitz to the News, "I know it is early and these things can change. But the fact that a Donald Trump matchup with either Clinton or Sanders is a competitive race is a canary in a coal mine for Republicans."

http://www.aol.com/article/2016/03/20/poll-utah-would-support-democrat-if-trump-becomes-republican-pr/21330683/

[DCBob]

1. Amazing.

This is why the GOP is freaking out about Trump.

[Beacool]

4. Trump shouldn't have spoken ill of Romney.

He questioned his faith.

Donald Trump questions Mitt Romney's faith as Utah race gets nasty

Ted Cruz because "the only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump" is to give another candidate enough votes to force an open convention.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz headed to Provo High School Saturday afternoon for his first presidential campaign rally in Utah and his second event of the day.

Much of the Republican establishment has been reluctant about embracing Mr. Cruz, disdaining him as a self-centered politician who once called the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, a liar on the Senate floor. "I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City - and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them", Trump said to applause from his supporters. Leavitt said. "I don't think so".

Donald Trump continued his attacks on former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney Friday night, questioning whether Romney was a Mormon.

http://thevillagessuntimes.com/2016/03/20/donald-trump-questions-mitt-romneys-faith-as-utah-race-gets/

[MisterFred]

10. Honestly, Mormons are used to Republicans questioning their faith/if they're Christian, whatever.

That wasn't a very big deal to the people I talked to in Utah. My feeling is that it's more that Mormons & the state in general appreciate decorum.

[Beacool]

14. And "decorum" is not exactly in Trump's vocabulary.

[merrily]

2. The poll shows that clearly as to Sanders. Hillary is probably within the poll's margin of error.

[Beacool]

3. Keep wishing.......

Although, I do believe that he will do well in Utah on Tuesday.

[MisterFred]

11. Wishing what?

That he can read a poll? Clinton was within the margin of error with Trump, basically tied.

[comradebillyboy]

5. I think Trump made a huuuuuge mistake suggesting

that Mitt wasn't a real Mormon. Mormons, just another minority for Trump to alienate. If Hillary actually wins Utah in Nov I will hoist a glass of 16 yr old single malt Scotch in her honor and sing 'God Save The Queen'. BTW for the humor impaired people on this site, that last part is a joke.

[Beacool]

6. Yep, he should have kept his mouth shut.

Then again, that's something he's incapable of doing.

[Persondem]

7. Trump's a dead canary in a coal mine. Interesting. Nice to see the other guys with such worries.

k & R

[woolldog]

8. I wish we could keep a lid on all this polling

showing Trump losing until AFTER the GOP nominates him.

[Beacool]

9. Yeah, we want to make sure that they do nominate the Oompa Loompa candidate.

[Ken Burch]

12. Thanks for admitting that Bernie would do better against Trump in that post.

n/t.

[Beacool]

13. Well, he'll probably win the caucus.

The important thing, though, is that UT may turn blue in November.