Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim and Republicans gotta win Utah. Right?
Not so fast.
A new Salt Lake Tribune/Hinckley Institute poll finds Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton tied at 35 percent each. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is in double digits at 13 percent.
“For a state where the majority of voters have supported Republican presidential candidates since 1964, the fact that Trump is in a dead heat with Hillary Clinton suggests Utah voters are still very reluctant about a Trump presidency,” said pollster Jason Perry.
Perry says Trump’s brash swagger and outlandish behavior have made him so unpopular in Utah that the state could swing to Clinton in November.
It’s been 52 years that a Democrat has won the Beehive State.
Johnson is hurting Trump deeply. He won only 1.2 percent of the Utah vote four years ago.
“It’s interesting that Johnson is polling in double digits, especially since he’s gotten significantly less media exposure this cycle,” said Perry. “Clearly, there is a segment of the Utah population that is still willing to consider a third-party candidate.”