Utahns say Alabama Republican Roy Moore should drop out of the U.S. Senate race there after several women alleged Moore sexually harassed them when they were teenagers.
Additionally, a majority of Utahns say the U.S. Senate should refuse to allow Moore to take his seat if he wins December’s special election in Alabama.
Those results are part of a new UtahPolicy.com survey from Dan Jones & Associates conducted November 16-21, 2017.
At least eight women have come forward to allege sexual harassment or assault by Moore when he was working as an Assistant District Attorney in Alabama. Others said he pursued relationships with them when they were teenagers, and Moore was in his 30’s. Moore has denied the allegations.
600 Utahns were asked if Moore should drop out of the race because of the claims that he had preyed on teenage girls several decades ago.
- 68% said Moore should drop out of the race, including 45% who responded that he should “definitely” quit.
- 19% think Moore should stay in the contest.
- 14% said they don’t know.
If, as expected, Moore wins the Alabama special election in December, our survey asked Utahns what the U.S. Senate should do with him.
- 51% said the Senate should refuse to seat Moore if he wins.
- 29% said the Senate should allow Moore to take his seat.
- 20% said they didn’t know.
The distaste for Moore because of these claims cuts across all party lines:
- 58% of Republicans want him to drop out of the race.
- 92% of Democrats say Moore should withdraw.
- 68% of unaffiliated voters in Utah want Moore to leave the race.
However, Utah Republicans are less sure that Moore should be kept out of the Senate if he wins.
- 38% of Republicans say the Senate should refuse to seat him, while 37% say he should be allowed to assume the seat if he’s victorious.
- Not surprisingly, 79% of Democrats say the Senate should keep Moore out if he’s the winner in December.
- 60% of independent voters want Moore kept out of the Senate.
Utah voters who are more conservative politically are less inclined to want Moore to drop out of the race than their more moderate and liberal counterparts.
- 44% of “very conservative” voters say Moore should drop out of the race, while 36% say he should stay in. 49% of this group say the Senate should go ahead and seat Moore if he wins.
- 64% of “somewhat conservative” Utahns want Moore to quit while 18% say he should not. 45% of these same respondents say the Senate should not let Moore take his seat if he wins.
- 79% of moderate Utahns think Moore should withdraw while just 10% think he should keep running. 63% of this group think the Senate should refuse to seat him.
- 93% of those who say they are “somewhat liberal” say Moore should leave the race, as do 94% of those who are “very liberal.” These groups also overwhelmingly say that the Senate should refuse to seat Moore if he wins (81% and 77% respectively).
Several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have either called for Moore to drop out of the race in the wake of the allegations. Utah Sen. Mike Lee had endorsed Moore and was raising money for his Senate campaign, but withdrew his support for Moore after the allegations came to light. Some Republicans in the Senate said they would initiate proceedings to expel Moore from the Senate should he win the election.
Moore is still favored to win the race to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he resigned to become Attorney General, but polls have shown Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, with a slight lead.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he supported Moore because he had “totally denied” the allegations.
The Dan Jones & Associates survey was conducted November 16-21, 2017 among 600 registered Utah voters with a margin of error +/- 4.0%.
