In the latest poll released by Dan Jones and Associates for UtahPolicy.com, Utah voters have shown that they favor presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush over businessman Donald Trump by a substantial margin: 51 to 32 percent. The poll, which was conducted from Sept. 8-17 and surveyed 604 adult Utah residents had a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percent.
Those who identified themselves as Republican reported a 55 to 33 percent preference for Bush over Trump. Those who consider themselves independent favor Bush over Trump by 49 to 34 percent.
Breaking down the poll into smaller demographics revealed that those who self-identified as “very conservative” were deadlocked on the two candidates, each gaining about 44 percent. Those who identified as “somewhat conservative” preferred Bush over Trump by a 57 to 30 percent ratio, while those who identified as “moderates” swung heavily towards Bush with 60 percent over Trump’s 24 percent.
However, Utahns who identified as affiliated with the Tea Party showed a strong preference for Trump, with a 70-20 percent margin. Non-Tea Party Utahns stood in support of Bush by a 55-26 percent ratio.
An earlier poll taken by Dan Jones & Associates found that overall, former surgeon Ben Carson topped the overall GOP field with 18 percent of Utahns surveyed, with Trump and Bush following with 12 and 11 percent. According to a CNN/ORC nationwide poll, Trump is still the front runner in the national polls, with 24 percent support, although his numbers have dropped from his previous high of 32 percent. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is in second with 15 percent, with Carson trailing just behind at 14 percent.
According to UtahPolicy.com, Bush’s ascendance in Utah should come as little surprise, stating that he has high-profile backing, including that of Utah’s esteemed Sen. Orrin Hatch.
The crowded Republican presidential field is slowly narrowing. Initially there were 17 candidates vying for the presidential nomination, but with both Scott Walker (Wisconsin) and Rick Perry (Texas) both dropping out of the race, the field is now down to 15 candidates.
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