Neurosurgeon Ben Carson leads the GOP field in Utah.
A new UtahPolicy.com survey conducted by Dan Jones & Associates finds Carson with 22% support among all Utahns. That’s up from his 18% mark in September.
Marco Rubio was tapped as the second most-popular choice in the state at 11%. That’s a 5-point jump from September when he pulled in 6%.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is third with 10%. That’s also an increase from September when he clocked in with 6%.
Donald Trump’s support is falling. He pulls in 9%, which is 3-points lower than his showing in September.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues to fall in popularity among Utahns. His support is down to 7%, which is an 11-point drop from July of this year when he got 18%.
Our survey was conducted before Bobby Jindal decided to end his campaign on Tuesday of this week. However, Jindal only pulled 1% support in the poll, so it doesn’t matter much anyway.
Utah’s results are slightly different from the Real Clear Politics polling average which gives Trump the lead, followed by Carson, Rubio, Cruz and Bush.
Among Utah Republicans, Carson is way ahead of the rest of the field, garnering 30% support, which is more than double the next most popular choices Cruz (14%) and Rubio (12%). Donald Trump (9%) and Jeb Bush (8%) are in fourth and 5th place, respectively.
Here’s how the candidates stack up along ideological lines:
-“Very conservative” Utahns pick Carson (28%) and Cruz (25%)
– “Somewhat conservative” respondents like Carson (31%), Rubio (12%) and Trump (12%)
– Moderates prefer Rubio (18%) and Carson (17%)
Utah Republicans will vote on their presidential preferences at their mass meetings on March 22, which is a departure from the traditional presidential primary that is usually held in June.
The survey was conducted November 5-14 among 624 adult Utahns. It has a margin of error of +/-3.92%.
