A new poll conducted for Utah GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch shows him with a commanding lead over his challengers.
Hatch has the support of 63 percent of the delegates who will be voting at Saturday’s state Republican convention, according to the survey conducted by Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research. Former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist places second with 21 percent support, and state Rep. Chris Herrod is third with 4 percent. The poll has a 5.7 percentage point margin of error.
Hatch, who has been in office 35 years, needs to earn 60 percent of the delegates’ support to win the Republican nomination outright. If he fails to reach that threshold, a primary will be held June 26.
Liljenquist’s camp scoffed at the results. The numbers are “bogus,” Holly Richardson, chairwoman of Liljenquist’s campaign, told
National Review Online. “Our internal rankings show we’re in a much better position. We’re going to push [Hatch] to a primary.” Richardson said Liljenquist’s internal polls show he’s “a lot closer to 50–50,” she said.
A
Utah Foundation/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll released Tuesday produced results similar to the Wilson Perkins Allen survey. Hatch leads Liljenquist 61 percent to 21 percent in the Utah Foundation poll.
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