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SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Rep. Mia Love continues to have an edge over Democratic challenger Doug Owens in Utah's 4th Congressional District, two new polls show.
Love leads Owens 51 percent to 38 percent, according to a Dan Jones & Associates poll for UtahPolicy.com. Jones surveyed 404 likely 4th District voters Oct. 12-22. The poll has a plus or minus 4.9 percent margin of error.
The numbers are identical to a survey the online political newsletter did in August.
Also Monday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a poll showing Owens trailing Love 49 percent to 41 percent. The results are based on a survey of 478 likely voters in the district conducted by the committee. It has a plus or minus 4.5 percent error margin.
"I don't think there's any question which one is credible and which one is not," said Dave Hansen, Love's campaign manager, adding the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee survey wasn't done by a "legitimate" pollster. "She has a solid lead."
The Love campaign said the UtahPolicy.com poll closely matches their internal numbers, while the Owens camp says the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee survey is two points better than its own poll.
Love is seeking a second term after narrowly defeating Owens for what was an open seat in 2014.
"We're excited by the momentum Doug's campaign continues to gain," said Owens campaign spokesman Taylor Morgan. "One thing is clear — Utah voters want change in Washington. Doug's working hard each day for every vote, and we're confident we will close the gap and win this election."
Organizers of separate town hall forums for Owens and Love at the University of Utah on Tuesday canceled the event Monday, citing a scheduling conflict. Both candidates are peppering the airwaves with ads, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to woo voters with the Nov. 8 election just two weeks away.
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Love, Owens spar in first — likely only — debate
Both Republican Rep. Mia Love and her Democratic challenger, Doug Owens, said they could help end the partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., during their first and likely only debate.Hansen said Love is in a strong position and Owens' attack ads haven't worked.
Predictably, Love is pulling an overwhelming majority of Republicans, while Owens is doing the same among Democrats in the UtahPolicy.com poll. Owens leads among independent voters 48 percent to 36 percent.
In the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee poll, Love has dropped below 50, which the committee says is a danger sign for any incumbent who has spent the amount of money that she has. It also has Owens leading Love by 23 percent among independent voters.
Also, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said there is a "massive enthusiasm gap" in the race because the polls show Owens leading 47 percent to 44 percent among respondents who are extremely excited about the presidential election.
Hansen doesn't put much stock in those numbers, saying they mean something at the top of the ticket but nothing down ballot.
"Doug is in deep trouble," Hansen said.
Committee spokesman Tyler Law said the race will continue to tighten over the final weeks.
"As Utahns learn more about Doug Owens and his positive message of putting Utah first they are more likely to support him. It’s that simple," he said.
