Maybe it's an overall dissatisfaction with Congress, but Utah's four House members aren't very popular with residents.
A new UtahPolicy.com/Dan Jones & Associates survey finds freshman Rep. Mia Love has the highest statewide approval ratings of the four members of Utah's House delegation, but residents in the 4th District, which she represents, aren't sold yet.
51% of Utahns say they have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable opinion of Love while 33% have an unfavorable view of her.
But, among 4th District residents, those numbers are much closer, with 48% having a positive view of Love and 46% holding an unfavorable opinion. That suggests Love hasn't done much to move the public opinion needle since she defeated Democrat Doug Owens in 2014 by a little more than 4,000 votes. Owens recently announced he was launching a second bid for Congress against Love in 2016.
3rd District Congressman Jason Chaffetz is viewed favorably by half of Utahns statewide while just 25% of that group see him in a negative light.
That number is higher inside Chaffetz's 3rd District, with 57% of those residents approving of his job performance while less than a quarter (22%) disapprove. Chaffetz did not face a credible challenge for re-election in 2014, crushing hapless Democrat Brian Wonnacott by nearly 50-points. It would be safe to think he will not draw a serious challenger in 2016.
2nd District Congressman Chris Stewart is an enigma to Utahns both statewide and within his district. 40% of statewide Utahns and 33% of 2nd District residents responded to our survey that they had never heard of him. Another 18% within the 2nd District say they have heard of Stewart but have not formed an opinion of him. Among those who have an opinion about his job performance, 30% say they view him positively while 14% have a negative opinion.
Those numbers might suggest Stewart could be vulnerable to a challenge from within his party or from a Democrat in November, but that's not likely to happen. Utah Democrats thought they had a good candidate in Luz Robles in 2014, but the election ended with Stewart winning by 28 points. In fact, Stewart has scored over 60% in both of his runs for Congress.
1st Congressional District Representative Rob Bishop is seen favorably by 41% of Utahns statewide and by 48% of those within his district. However, it would be folly to think Bishop might be vulnerable next year. In the past two elections, he has faced off against Democrat Donna McAleer, a competent politician by any measure and has won by 47 and 37 points respectively.
The survey was conducted by Dan Jones and Associates from July 7-21, 2014 among 601 Utah residents. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.97%.
You can view the crosstabs for the survey here.
