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SALT LAKE CITY — President Joe Biden is projected to win the Democratic primary in Utah, according to the Associated Press, while Donald Trump won the Republican Party's presidential preference poll after long lines and apparent technical difficulties were reported at multiple sites Tuesday.
With 85% of precincts reporting in the Republican caucuses Wednesday morning, Trump leads with 57% of the vote to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's 42%. Haley is leading in Salt Lake and Davis counties and trails the former president by about 1,200 votes in Utah County.
Aside from Vermont — which Haley won by 4 points — Trump's margin of victory in Utah is by far the smallest of all the Super Tuesday states, with the former president leading by 40 points in most states, and by as much as 70 points or more in Alabama and Alaska.
Utah's Republican race was called by the Associated Press just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, making it the last Super Tuesday race to be finalized — finishing after Alaska, which also held caucuses and is two time zones behind Utah.
Haley suspended her presidential campaign Wednesday morning after a disappointing showing on Tuesday.
Frustration on caucus night
While things went smoothly in some Republican caucus meetings Tuesday night, chaos was reported at other locations as long lines and technical difficulties snarled the voting and check-in processes. Issues were reported at several locations in Salt Lake County, including Olympus High School, Herriman High School, Copper Hills High School and Elk Ridge Middle School, among others.
Republican voters were given the option to preregister ahead of the caucuses. Many who didn't do so found themselves waiting for close to an hour to check in after the online system appeared to crash. Others said they received messages that they were not registered Republican voters when, in fact, they were.
Some voters waited nearly an hour in line to get help at Herriman High School, and others who preregistered were not given ballots after braving a line to check in that snaked through the common area and stretched hundreds of feet down a hallway.
Hundreds reportedly gave up and went home after struggling to sort through the confusion.
Both Democratic and Republican primaries were called in California — which is an hour behind Utah — shortly after polls closed, making Utah's Republican caucus the latest race call among Super Tuesday states.
"I'm just trying to figure out what the heck it's all about," one voter at Herriman High School told KSL.com.
Several others expressed frustration and outright anger at the decision of the party to opt for caucus votes instead of a traditional primary.
"I like the primary where you just go and cast your vote and be done with it and go home," said Vance Campbell, of South Jordan. "This, I mean, we've been here for over an hour; all we've done is get a little red wristband."
KSL received dozens of tips Tuesday night and Wednesday from frustrated voters who described a "fiasco" at caucus sites. Others complained of a lack of accessibility for older adults or disabled voters and expressed concern about the security of the votes after the website used to verify voter registration went down.
There was still frustration from those who experienced a smooth caucus night over the time commitment required compared to a traditional primary.
"I've got kids; I don't have time to wait in line for an hour — or at least it's hard," Riverton resident Chase Hess told KSL.com on his way into his precinct meeting. "It's important to do it, but it was easy when we could just fill out the primary ballot and mail it in, instead of: get off work, run home, think about the kids starving."
Utah Republican Party Chairman Robert Axson expressed support for the caucus system and blamed the confusion on volunteers not showing up and a lack of awareness of how the system works.
"I think it's more just people forget what their role is here, right? They forget what they're supposed to do; they're confused on where they're supposed to go," he said. "There was a couple of volunteers who did not arrive today, so it creates a little bit of a chokepoint that we're dealing with here at this location."
"But ultimately, the engagement that you can get in the precinct level is incredibly valuable. It's worthwhile," he added. "So, I think the effort is worth it."
How Utah Republicans voted
The results in the Beehive State and across the United States on Super Tuesday — where more than a third of all delegates were at stake in 15 states — bring the nation one step closer to a rematch of the 2020 election, with former President Donald Trump and Biden leading their respective parties.
Many voters who turned out to caucus for Haley acknowledged her campaign as a long shot but showed up to express their opposition to the former president. Vance Campbell, along with his wife, Marcene, were happy with some of Trump's policies during his first term but described him as a bully.
"I think some new blood, someone who's polite and civil, who you can actually have a conversation with — I think those are some characteristics we need as someone who's going to lead our country," Vance Campbell said. "You can only bully people around and insult them and call them names — you can only get so far doing that."
With Trump as the likely nominee, they both were still undecided as to who they would support in the general election, but were firm in their opposition to Trump.
"I don't know, but it won't be Trump," said Marcene Campbell, who voted for Biden in 2020.
Still, Trump's support in Utah's caucuses was strong, with many voters dead-set on casting votes for him come November's general election. Among his supporters, the economy and border policy came up often as key drivers, and several said they like the strength and attitude Trump projects.
Riverton resident Hess — who cast his vote for Trump — said he liked his "no (nonsense)" attitude, saying the former president isn't "wishy-washy" like many "career politicians." When it comes to the economy, he said it appears that "no one's in control," pointing to high inflation rates in recent years.
"We need somebody who knows how to run a business. This is the biggest business on the planet: the United States of America," Hess said.
Even some Haley voters said they thought another Trump term would be good for the U.S. economy — even if they still plan to vote for Biden or a third-party candidate in November.
"The last three years — I don't want to have a repeat of that," said Paul from Herriman, who declined to provide his last name. "If Trump can get elected and change that, then good for him, but I don't want to salute him necessarily. ... If Trump gets elected it's great, but I don't know that I will vote for him."
The former president won the vast majority of delegates Tuesday, putting him within arm's reach of the 1,215 required to clinch the Republican nomination.
Biden also cruised to a victory in Utah's Democratic primary election, beating out Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minnesota, and author Marianne Williamson. The Associated Press called the race for the incumbent shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m.
Contributing: Daniel Woodruff
