Gov. Mike Leavitt gets the most votes as the most influential and powerful person in the state, a poll of Utahns shows.
He is closely followed by President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a survey conducted for the Deseret News and KSL-TV by Dan Jones & Associates shows.
The rest of the pack falls away, but in order of preference includes Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson; and industrialist/philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr.
The poll results aren't far off from a survey by the newspaper of Utah "insiders" — individuals perceived to be knowledgeable on how power and influence work in the state.
While a few of the leading influential people switch places in the rankings between the Jones poll and the insiders survey, the same names do come up using both methods.
Jones asked 607 Utahns statewide who they think are the three most influential and powerful in the state. Those interviewed by telephone were asked to consider who impacted Utahns' daily lives politically, socially, educationally and religiously.
Jones took the first-, second- and third-place votes for each person and added them up.
Under that formula, 30 percent listed Leavitt as one of their choices. Twenty-six percent mentioned President Hinckley, Jones found.
If you look at only first-place votes, Leavitt got 33 percent, President Hinckley 30 percent, Hatch 5 percent and Huntsman 4 percent.
Jones did not suggest any names to those being interviewed; the respondents came up with their own ideas.
Jones has been polling in Utah for 25 years. And he says whenever you ask an open-ended question — one in which the respondent provides the answer himself without having to pick an alternative offered by the pollster — you get some interesting suggestions.
For example, in the Power Players survey, one person mentioned the American Civil Liberties Union. Another said Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. One said it was "those people who run the Shakespearean Festival" in Cedar City.
Eight named Jazz forward Karl Malone; one his coach, Jerry Sloan. One said "all the lobbyists" at the Legislature.
One listed his mom. Another named himself.
And one person told Jones that Jesus Christ was the most influential person in Utah.
One of the insiders surveyed by the newspaper listed Jesus Christ as having, potentially, the greatest influence on the state's citizens as well.
E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com; lucy@desnews.com