Utahns have a very dim view of Congress, but they still want to see Republicans keep control in November.
In a new UtahPolicy.com survey, we found 2/3rds (67%) of Utahns disapprove of Congress, while a paltry 29% say they approve. That translates to a negative 38 net approval rating. In fact, only a minuscule 2-percent say they “strongly approve” of Congress.
Utah’s approval of Congress runs higher than the nation as a whole. The Real Clear Politics average Congressional approval of 15%, while the disapproval is 74%, a negative 59 net approval.
Utah Republicans have a much higher opinion of Congress than their Democratic and unaffiliated counterparts.
- 40% of Republican voters in Utah approve of Congress while 55% disapprove – a net approval of minus 15.
- Only 10% of Democrats approve of Congress while 89% disapprove. That’s a whopping net approval of negative 79.
- 24% of independent voters say they approve of Congress and 75% say they disapprove – a minus 51 percent net approval.
Even though Utah does not like the job Congress is doing, a majority of voters in the Beehive State still want to see Republican keep control following the 2018 midterm elections.
52% of Utahns say they want Republicans to retain control of Congress, while just 27% say they would like to see Democrats back in charge. 13% said it does not matter which party is in charge. That gives the GOP a +25 advantage in our generic ballot poll.
Nationally, Democrats hold an 8-point lead in the generic ballot according to the RCP average. That national lead for Democrats suggests Republicans may be in some trouble in November’s midterms.
However, the large gap between Republicans and Democrats in our generic poll suggests Utah could be immune to any sort of Democratic wave in November.
88% of Utah Republicans want the GOP to retain control in November, while only 2% want to see the Democrats in charge. Those numbers reverse for Democrats, with 89% wanting to see control of Congress shift to their party and only 2% wanting to see the GOP remain in charge. Independent voters are almost evenly divided, with 30% preferring Republicans in charge, 33% opting to see the Democrats back in control, and 24% replying it does not matter which party is in charge.
The hottest congressional election in Utah this year is expected to be GOP Rep. Mia Love vs. Democrat Ben McAdams, assuming McAdams can win the Democratic nomination.
However, a majority of voters in the 4th Congressional District don’t see a reason to change control of Congress, with 52% saying they want the GOP to stay in charge and 28% wanting to see the Democrats move into power. Love holds a 49-43% lead over McAdams in our latest UtahPolicy.com poll. McAdams likely needs to convince voters that a change in Congress is needed to overcome Love’s lead when November rolls around.
The Dan Jones & Associates survey was conducted among 609 registered voters in Utah from February 9-16, 2018. It has a margin of error of 4%.
