A Utah presidential primary 2016 poll conducted by UtahPolicy.com shows that more Utahns believe U.S. presidential contenders businessman Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio won the Aug. 6 debate in Cleveland compared to others in the running. Both Trump and Rubio garnered 16 percent in the survey of 500 adult Utahns conducted Aug. 7 through 14 by Dan Jones and Associates. The survey showed the largest group—22 percent—answered that they didn’t know who won. Dr. Ben Carson made a strong showing with 11 percent, just 3 percentage points above long-time front runner Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich, each with 8 percent, well within the margin of error.
While Kasich did well in the overall numbers in his home state, that number was greatly skewed by the group of self-identifying Democrats, where he pulled 33 percent. That was the largest number by far of the Democrats, with self-identifying Republicans only giving him 4 percent. Ben Carson placed second among Democrats surveyed at 19 percents. Both Trump and Bush received 14 percent among Democrats surveyed, with Rubio receiving 10 percent.
The survey also showed 36 percent of respondents in the statewide poll saying they watched the presidential debate. That number far exceeds the national average, even though the debate received the largest viewership ever for a FOX News program at 24 million people, representing close to ten percent of the U.S. adult population. The percent of Utah Republicans who tuned in was higher at 42 percent, with the state Democrats tuning in at 34 percent.
While there is great interest in the GOP primary nationally, based on these numbers, interest in Utah would seem to be even higher, despite the fact that the state plays a fairly small role in the Presidential election process with just six electoral votes. Utah Republicans plan to hold a non-traditional Primary vote, with votes taking place in neighborhood caucuses and those who cannot attend casting their votes online.
The Utah presidential primary 2016 poll
The survey was conducted for UtahPolicy.com by Dan Jones & Associates from Aug. 7-14, 2015. 500 adult Utahns were surveyed and the poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.99%. According to their website, UtahPolicy’s mission is to help leaders in the Utah Public Policy Industry obtain those skills and insights, save time and perform their jobs better.
Utah presidential primary 2016 coverage
For more coverage on the Utah presidential primary 2016 stay tuned to SUindependent.com – “A Voice for Utah.” SUindependent.com is a product of Independent Publishing company of St. George, Utah, which has produced The Independent in print monthly since 1996.
