The Ross Perot phenomenon has hit Utah big time.
Perot has shot ahead of President Bush and now has the support of a surprising 42 percent of Utahns, the latest Deseret News/KSL-TV poll shows. Fewer than a third of Utahns favor the president. Support for Democrat Bill Clinton has dropped to 10 percent.In many national polls, Perot has crept slightly ahead of Bush, the Republican nominee. But the Texas billionaire now has a full 10-point lead in Utah, one of the most Republican states in the nation.
Pollster Dan Jones & Associates found that if the election were held today, 42 percent of Utahns would vote for Perot, 32 percent favor Bush, 10 percent pick Clinton, 3 percent mention someone else and 13 percent are undecided.
Just six weeks ago in an April 23 poll, Jones found that Bush had 48 percent support. Perot was at 23 percent and Clinton came in at 15 percent. Eight percent named someone else and 8 percent didn't know.
Perot's swift movement and the increase in the undecideds shows a major shift in public opinion. Jones warns that his latest poll doesn't predict who will win in November, that it is only a measure of voter preference today. Still, says Jones, "I've never seen anything like this in all my years of polling."
Perot's impact is across the board, and it runs deep. For years, Jones has found that about 42 percent of Utahns are Republicans. But in the latest poll, that number drops to 37 percent. Those who say they are independents jumps 6 points, from 37 percent to 43 percent. The shift is due in large measure to Perot's popularity, says Jones.
That shift is good news for Independent Party gubernatorial candidate Merrill Cook, who would like to catch some of that anti-political party sentiment himself. Perot's movement is truly independent, however, and not associated with Cook's party.
The Republican Party presidential nominee has carried Utah each election for nearly 30 years. Utah's congressional delegation is mostly Republican, as is the Legislature. Gov. Norm Bangerter is a Republican.
Bush carried Utah with 66 percent of the vote in 1988. Ronald Reagan once won the state with more than 70 percent of the vote - landslides by any measure.
But, at least for now, the tables have turned.
Jones found that 29 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of the Democrats interviewed support Perot. In fact, Perot got more support from Democrats than Democrats gave their own party's nominee. Only 33 percent of the Democrats interviewed said they support Clinton.
Perot runs strong across Utah. But his strongest support - 46 percent - comes in Salt Lake County.
Perot will be on the Utah ballot, volunteer supporters having gathered more than enough signatures of registered voters. Supporters opened a Salt Lake City Perot headquarters a week ago. It is still unclear, they say, if the candidate himself will visit Utah during the campaign.
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Additional information
National polls vary
Ross Perot has a 13-percentage point lead over both President Bush and Bill Clinton in one national poll released Saturday, but another shows him ahead by just two points. A Time Magazine/CNN survey showed 37 percent of the respondents supported Perot with 24 percent each for Bush and Clinton. A Newsweek poll put the race much closer with Perot supported by 35 percent, Bush 33 percent and Clinton 25 percent.
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Deseret News graphic
Deseret News/KSL-TV poll
If the presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote?
George Bush (R) 32%
Bill Clinton (D) 10%
Ross Perot (I) 42%
Other 3%
Don't know 13%
Conducted June 2-3, 1992 Sample Size: 601 Error: +/- 4% Copyright 1992 Deseret News