If Donald Trump loses the election, he says it will be because it was “rigged” against him.
Most Utahns don’t agree, a new UtahPolicy poll shows.
But there is a significant minority (nearly a third) who agree with Trump: The only way he loses is if the election is stolen from him.
UPD’s pollster, Dan Jones & Associates, finds in a new survey that 67 percent of Utahns say if Trump loses it WILL NOT be because the election was rigged.
In other words, it will be a fair election and Trump just didn’t win enough Electoral College votes to make him president.
But 29 percent – more than a fourth – of all Utahns say if Trump doesn’t win the election was “rigged” against him.
And 4 percent of Utahns don’t know.
Of course, the poll was taken before Monday night’s first presidential debate between Trump, the GOP nominee, and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee.
So any impressions Utahns glean from that debate are not reflected in this survey.
Jones finds there is a real partisan element to the responses:
— 55 percent of Utah Republicans say a Trump loss does not mean a rigged election, but a fair one.
— But 38 percent agree with Trump that if he loses it was because the election was rigged; and 7 percent of Republicans don’t know.
— No doubt with Democrats – 91 percent say if Trump loses it will be a fair loss and a fair election, 10 percent of Utah Democrats agree with Trump, if he loses it’s because the election was rigged; and 0 percent of Democrats don’t know.
— About three-fourths (72 percent) of political independent say a Trump loss would still be a fair election; a quarter (24 percent) say it would be a “rigged” loss; and 3 percent of independents don’t know.
Now, what about the “black helicopter” type of Utahns? Those who don’t trust anything about the federal government, nor most politicians.
Well, as you may expect most of them accept Trump’s dim vision of U.S. presidential elections (which are actually run by state governments assisted by county election clerks – not the federal government).
Jones finds:
— 50 percent of those who said they are “very conservative” politically agree with Trump that if he doesn’t win it will be because the election was “rigged.”
— 44 percent disagree, they believe a Trump loss will still mean fair elections; and 6 percent don’t know.
— Utah Tea Partiers are even more skeptical, should Trump lose. Some 53 percent say it will be because the election was stolen from him; 41 percent say it would still be a fair election; and 5 percent don’t know.
Finally, Utah Mormons don’t much trust Trump – even though more of them will vote for him than will vote for Clinton (44 percent for Trump, 10 percent for Clinton).
And Jones’ poll indicates that:
— Among those who said they are “very active” in the LDS Church, only 28 percent say should Trump lose it will be because the election was stolen from him; only 28 percent of active Mormons side with Trump on this one; and 7 percent don’t know.
Jones polled 605 Utahns between Sept. 1-9. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.98 percent.
