Remember when Utah was seen as moving away from its long-standing Republican ways and tilting to Hillary Clinton? It’s not happening.
Donald Trump retains the 6-point lead he had in last month’s Monmouth University Poll, according to data released Thursday afternoon. And a new Emerson College Poll has him up 12.
Monmouth found Independent Evan McMullin continues cutting into Trump’s support among Republicans, but he’s still well behind Hillary Clinton.
The Monmouth poll, which surveyed those who have already voted or are likely to vote next Tuesday, found Trump at 37 percent, Clinton at 31 percent and McMullin at 24 percent.
Trump is up 22 points over McMullin among Republicans. Among independents, Trump is ahead of Clinton by 34-32 percent, while McMullin has 24 percent.
Trump was thought to be having difficulty because Mormons, who make up about 60 percent of Utah voters, could reject him because of their traditional values. But even among those voters, Trump is up over McMullin by 6 points.
Emerson’s survey had Trump at 40 percent, followed by McMullin at 28 percent and Clinton at 20 percent.
Since mid-October, the poll has found a big shift by supporters of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. They had been breaking heavily for McMullin; now they’re for Trump, 47-37.
“While McMullin has cut into Trump’s partisan support, the independent candidate has not broken out of third place,” said Patrick Murray, director of the nonpartisan Monmouth University Polling Institute.
David Lightman: 202-383-6101, @lightmandavid