Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox is leading other contenders, including former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., in a new poll on the Utah governor's race for the Salt Lake Chamber released Wednesday.
"It's good news for us," Cox's campaign manager, Austin Cox, told KSL. "I think Utahns are really excited about the lieutenant governor's candidacy. They see him working hard for this."
The poll put Cox just slightly ahead of Huntsman, a former presidential candidate and now the U.S. ambassador to Russia, 33% to 32%, followed by former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes with 5%.
Former Utah GOP Chairman Thomas Wright also had the support of 5% of those polled for the chamber, and Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton was at 2%.
The yet-to-be-determined Democratic nominee got 11%, while 13% of respondents said they didn't know who they'd vote for in the governor's race. Gov. Gary Herbert, who has held the post since 2009, is not seeking reelection.
Only Cox has announced he's running. Results for Jason Chaffetz, a former Utah congressman turned Fox News contributor and author, were removed after Chaffetz said he would not run for governor.
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who announced Monday he would not seek reelection to Congress but continues to consider a bid for governor, was not included in the poll, conducted June 11-July 1 by Dan Jones & Associates of 801 Utahns.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The lieutenant governor's numbers were higher among likely Republican voters in the poll, with 41% saying they'd vote for Cox if the election were held today, compared to 26% for Huntsman, 6% for Hughes, 8% for Wright and 1% for Newton.
"As a candidate for the Republican nomination, these are the numbers that matter," Spencer Cox said in a statement. "We'll continue working hard, visiting every city and town to meet as many Utahns as possible. But we are very encouraged that so may Utahns believe in our conservative vision for the state."
