Most Utah voters say Gov. Gary Herbert has done a good enough job to deserve re-election next year.
Herbert is gunning for his second full term and 3rd electoral win next year after announcing his bid for another term in office last summer. Our latest UtahPolicy.com survey finds 57% of registered voters say he should either probably or definitely be re-elected in 2016 while 34% say he doesn't deserve another term in office. 9% say they don't know.
Republicans and independent voters say Herbert deserves four more years in the Governor's Mansion while Democrats are itching for a change. Nearly 70% of Republicans and half of independents think Herbert should be re-elected while just 30% of Democrats agree.
| Republicans | Democrats | Independent voters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definitely should be re-elected | 33% | 5% | 12% |
| Probably should | 36% | 25% | 38% |
| Probably should not | 14% | 29% | 21% |
| Definitely should not be re-elected | 7% | 35% | 19% |
| Don't know | 7% | 6% | 11% |
Herbert started his re-election bid so early because he was facing a likely challenge for the GOP nomination in 2016. Right now that challenge will probably come from Overstock.com chairman of the board Jonathan Johnson who has already hired Republican campaign guru Dave Hansen to run his campaign efforts in 2016. Johnson has not formally declared his intent to run yet, but many expect it's coming.
Voters seem to like Herbert's pro-business agenda while in office. Utah has been at or near the top of the list of best places to do business for the past few years. However, he has hit a few speed bumps in the past year. House Republicans blocked his "Healthy Utah" Medicaid expansion alternative after he had spent more than a year negotiating with federal authorities on his plan. He also proposed a massive increase in funding for Utah's education system in 2015. Lawmakers came close to the $500 million in new money he proposed for schools, but didn't give him everything he asked for. Herbert also picked a fight with lawmakers over transportation earmarks in 2015, saying those monies should be spent on education instead of sequestered for roads.
Our survey was conducted by Dan Jones and Associates from May 4-12, 2015. 803 registered voters were contacted via telephone and online. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.46%
