Some anonymous comments:
It's a bitter pill for Utah, and our beloved Olympic savior but Mitt left a bad taste in the mouths of many moderates through his sycophantic relationship with right wing crazies. Obama has successfully managed a disastrous economy left to him by the barrow and spend policies of George Bush and irresponsible obstructionism from congressional Republicans. He has also been a strong foreign policy president and deserves re-election. Outside of the I-15 Corridor and away from Southern racists, a majority of Americans recognize this fact. Obama will win again in a tight race.
Mitt will win big big big in Utah. But not so big in Salt Lake County.
The indicators are all over the board. The polls are varied as well. The strongest indicator, in my opinion, is the economic factor. In that, Romney is beating Obama. However, there are other indicators that place Obama ahead. Mine is more of a hope than a surety that the Governor will win. I really don't know.
Let's just say that Romney will lose a race that he could have won had he not needed to carry the baggage of so many looney tunes. I'm referring to Romney VI, not Romney I, II, III, IV, or V.
As bad as Utahns want it, you can't break the Universal Law of Electoral Math.
Close call but I think, excluding an October surprise, the momentum is with Mitt and the President is demeaning himself in the last few weeks with his high school council campaign tactics (ex. Romnesia). I don't think it has much appeal now that Mitt has shown he is not the character in the Obama and friends media buys and it makes the President look small.
Romney will win popular. Obama will will the electoral college.
The momentum is moving towards Mitt and will continue until Nov 6th. Don't know if it will be enough but right now I believe Obama has a 53% chance of winning with that % going down every day.
The popular vote may be close but Obama will run away with the electoral vote.
This will be a very close race, but my sense is that the late breaking voters generally don't go to the incumbent, if they believe they've got an alternative who can fill the office. In this case, Mitt Romney has shown that he is presidential, which gives him a significant edge with undecided voters in the last 2 weeks.
Some anonymous comments:
Howell has much better signs, but absolutely no chance of winning.
Orrin has too strong a grasp on the ground game necessary to win. Hats off to David Hansen.
Really? You have to ask this?
Orrin Hatch has done a good job over nearly 4 decades, but it's time to retire with our sincere thanks, and Scott Howell is an excellent candidate who would be a remarkable representative for the people of Utah. Unfortunately, it is a tough year to be a Democrat running for a state-wide race in Utah. The Mittmentum is probably too steep a hill to climb. Alas.
Close isn't in the same area code.
Come on. If another Republican can't beat Senator Hatch in a primary, what makes anyone so delusional to think a little known Democrat will?
Name recognition will be more than enough to carry Orrin Hatch across the finish line.
If were were going to replace Hatch, we would have elected Dan Liljenquist.
A Democrat win a statewide race in Utah? Not in this decade.
Hatch is like a freight train mowing down anything in his path. He hasn't had any significant challenge since he won his first election and this year, especially with Romney at the top of the ticket, isn't going to be any different. The real question is whether or not he'll serve out his full term or leave on his own terms after a couple years.
This race has been over for months.
Some anonymous comments:
This could be the nail-biter of the evening, but I think Romney's coat tails will put Love over the top.
Matheson wins by less than 1500 votes.
Mia Love has no depth or understanding of the issues. Tea Party talking points like smaller government and local control are her only answers to every question. We need pragmatic problem solvers, not ideological parrots. Ultimately voters in the 4th District will recognize her lack of depth and vote Matheson in for another term. But it will be close.
Mia isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but a Republican who doesn't do anything is always better than a Democrat that does.
Such a close race. I hope Mia wins. As a Republican, I would love to see all of our Federal representatives vote as a team, work as a team, move Utah forward as a team.
This race will keep us up all night and be very close with Matheson surviving by the narrowest of margins.
Matheson in a close race. This race has stooped to a new low for Utah. Way to go Mia for sinking to new lows for negativity. People are sick and tired of this type of campaigning.
This is been a miserable campaign on both sides, particularly the spots from the RNCC and the DNCC. Jim is not a crazy big spender and Mia is not a silly, inexperienced tax and salary raiser who doesn't care about public safety. I think Mia will win because her election will be such a positive development for Utah and because she will benefit from the Romney landslide.
I give it to Mia. Close but I think with Mitt at the top of the ticket she's squeeze it out.
Jim has finally met his match and it is apparent that he is feeling desperate as he clings to silly attacks, which he has NEVER had to do before.
Mia will benefit from Mitt at the top of the ticket. Bye Bye Jim Matheson.
With both campaigns so negative, the voting public will return the semi-incumbent Matheson to Washington by a narrow margin.
This will be the closest race of them all and come right down to the last votes counted. Love has a lot of momentum but she is extreme and polarizing. Jim may not be everyone's cup of tea but in the end voters will find him more palatable than Mia Love.
The Romney factor wins this one for Mia, though she's tried hard to lose this on several occasions.
Some anonymous comments:
One would think it would have been hard to run a worse race against Gov. Herbert than Mayor Corroon did, but Gen. Cooke found a way.
The economy and positive press on the best business climate in the country will be too much for the Cooke campaign to counter.
The only drama in this race will be whether Cooke breaks 25% and whether Herbert breaks 70%.
Gary Herbert has been a competent manager for the State. He isn't an inspiring leader, and he has no vision for the future, but he hasn't messed up badly enough to get kicked out of office as a Republican in this, of all years. Cooke's poorly managed campaign hasn't made a compelling enough case for change.
Not even close. Sad that a retired General can be so clueless on Hill Air Force base. Herbert gets it. He has my vote.
Two years ago Herbert's landslide victory gave rise to the term "you got Corroon-ed" which will now become "you got Cooked"!
Those two candidates just ought to donate all their campaign expenses direcdtly to education and save the expensive efforts to convince an already totally Herbert electorate otherwise.
Peter has tried hard but has not been able to mount a significant campaign. I also question his tactic of going after Herbert on education when Herbert has the endorsement of the UEA and a good commercial on that topic, along with other good tv spots.
Utah's majority party voters seem to love incompetence, cronyism, bribery, and vitriol. Herbert is a shoe in!
Peter Cooke is a nice guy who picked the wrong time to go up against the most conservative governor our state has ever had.
I've been very surprised by Peter Cooke's unprofessional campaign, his comments, the HAFB "press conference" that he had to be chased away from, etc. I thought a Major General would be smarter than that.
Herbert doesn't deserve another term. His administration is full of cronyism, corruption, disregard for what's in the public's best interest, and a real entitled, laisez-faire attitude toward people who don't agree with him. But he's got an R behind his name and Utahns will vote like sheep to keep a guy in even while he's burning them with his policies.
Some anonymous comments:
Another nail-biter, but Romney's coat tails should help again. Besides, Ben is needed more in the Senate than at Salt Lake County.
In any other year, we would be talking about Mayor McAdams. With Romney at the top of the ticket, Crockett has a chance.
Ben McAdams has run a nearly flawless campaign and his appeal to business leaders and moderate Republicans in Salt Lake County is overwhelming. Mark Crockett's arrogance and combative personality haven't done him any favors, and this is one race where the momentum actually seems to be on the side of a Democrat.
This election will be the upset of the cycle......and despite Mitt Romney's strong support in Utah and Salt Lake County, Ben McAdams will be the example of a bi-partisan coalition builder...and he will win.
I think Mark was on track to win until the blow up about his crime reduction plan, which Democrats are using to make him look out-of-touch with reality.
I hope Mark wins. This year the Democrats love to say pleasing things like neither left or right but forward and not Republican not Democrat, but for the people. A little deceptive don't you think? So the game is if I can't win as the Democrat that I am, I'll pretend to be what you want so you will elect me. Boooo! If the citizens are fooled by this then McAdams will win. If not, Mark Crockett will win.
Ben hasn't done a great job of appealing to his base. Crockett will benefit from the Republican tailwind and pull it out.
In a normal year, McAdams would be walking away with this. This is not a normal year. He'll still win, but it'll be very close.
Ben is a very impressive person and a great candidate. He has shown an ability to work with people of all political persuasions. His campaign is clever and highlights his leadership abilities and his friendly character. I don't think Crockett could get enough community leaders to fill his bus.
Mark might win with Mitt's help at the top of the ticket. Mike Winder was still the better candidate and more pro business.
Salt Lake County Republicans want to show that they aren't voting straight party. They'd rather vote for the first black, Republican woman than for Congressman Matheson, so their Democrat vote will go to Ben McAdams. Couple that dynamic with the visceral dislike many on the west side of Salt Lake County feel towards Mark Crockett over their perception that he made the split of the Jordan School District possible, and Crockett will find himself in a hole he simply can't get out of.
Ben's got an amazing ground game, which will make the difference in this nail-biter.
Respondents include -
Fred Adams, Stuart Adams, Jess Agraz, Scott Anderson, Laura Arellano, Patrice Arent, Bette Arial, Neil Ashdown, Bruce Baird, Tom Barberi, Heather Barney, Steve Barth, Jeff Bell, Tom Berggren, Mike Bertelsen, Ron Bigelow, Emily Bingham-Hollingshead, Rob Bishop, Laura Black, Nanci Bockelie, Charles Bradley, Jim Bradley, Ralph Brown, Chris Bleak, Curt Bramble, Joel Briscoe, Ralph Brown, Aaron Browning, Ken Bullock, Ric Cantrell, Maura Carabello, Marty Carpenter, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Kay Christensen, David Clark, Kim Coleman, Peter Corroon, Tim Cosgrove, Fred Cox, Lew Cramer, Gene Davis, Richard Davis, Brad Daw, Alan Dayton, Margaret Dayton, Mike Deaver, Brad, Dee, Joseph Demma, Jake Dennis, Dan Deuel, Jeff Dixon, Brian Doughty, Carl Downing, Randy Dryer, Susan Duckworth, Donald Dunn, Alan Eastman, Becky Edwards, Scott Ericson, Chase Everton, Jessica Fawson, Janice Fisher, Wendy Fisher, Lorie Fowlke, Ronald Fox, Claire Francis, Ryan Frandsen, Adam Gardiner, Jordan Garn, Ernie Gamonal, Luke Garrott, Dave Gessel, Sheryl Ginsberg, Natalie Gochnour, Robert Grow, Karen Hale, David Hansen, Neil Hansen, Joe Hatch, Jeff Hartley, Dan Hauser, Lynn Hemmingway, Deidre Henderson, Neal Hendrickson, Casey Hill, Lyle Hillyard, Kory Holdaway, Randy Horiuchi, Ben Horsley, Bruce Hough, Scott Howell, Greg Hughes, Miriam Hyde, Allison Isom, Casey Jackson, Eric Jergensen, Mike Jerman, Jonathan Johnson, Michael Jolley, Gordon Jones, Leslie Jones, Pat Jones, Kirk Jowers, Jeremy Keele, Brian King, Scott Konopasek, Steve Kroes, Chris Kyler, Carter Livingston, Fred Lampropoulos, Clark Larsen, Douglas Larson, David Litvack, Larry Lunt, Matt Lyon, Ben McAdams, Daniel McCay, Gayle McKeachnie, JT Martin, Maryann Martindale, Jason Mathis, Bob Mayhew, Karen Mayne, Bret Milburn, Derek Miller, Rob Miller, Ethan Millard, Brett Millburn, Karen Morgan, Jeffery Morton, Mike Mower, Holly Mullen, Wayne Niederhauser, Mike Noel, Randy O'Hara, Ralph Okerlund, James Olsen, Val Oveson, Kelly Patterson, John Pearce, Helen Peters, Karen Peterson, Frank Pignanelli, Becky Pirente, Marie Poulson, Jason Powers, Tami Pyfer, Joe Pyrah, Mike Reberg, Jill Remington Love, Lauren Richards, Holly Richardson, Robin Riggs, James Roberts, Luz Robles, Ross Romero, Carol Sapp, Don Savage, Bryan Schott, Shauna Scott-Bellaccomo, Jay Seegmiller, Jennifer Seelig, Patrick Shea, Randy Shumway, Soren Simonsen, Jeremy Slaughter, Brendan Smith, Brian Somers, Carol Spackman-Moss, Robert Spendlove, Barbara Stallone, Howard Stephenson, David Stringfellow, Mike Styler, Shinika Sykes, Juliette Tennert, Gary Thorup, Kevin Van Tassell, Royce Van Tassel, Doug Thompson, Michael Waddoups, Laura Warburton, Chuck Warren, Christine Watkins, LaVarr Webb, Todd Weiler, Alan West, Mark Wheatley, Larry Wiley, Ted Wilson, Carl Wimmer, Mike Winder, Travis Wood, Thomas Wright, Crystal Young-Otterstrom
Results from the UtahPolicy.com/KSL Insider poll can be heard on KSL Radio every Friday and are published on Utah Policy.com every Monday.
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