A new poll shows waning support for the most senior Republican in the Senate — the chairman of the Finance Committee — as nearly 80 percent of registered voters say Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, should not seek re-election in 2018.
"I think he's lost the pulse of the people — I really do," Kiersten Nebeker, a Republican voter told The Salt Lake Tribune. "I think he's kind of out of touch with what we want."
The poll released Thursday by the Tribune and the Hinckley Institute of Politics asked, "Should Orrin Hatch run for re-election to an eighth term?"
- 58 percent "definitely not."
- 20 percent "probably not."
- 15 percent "probably."
- 5 percent "definitely."
- 2 percent "don't know."
"That's the highest I've ever had in the years that I've done the research," pollster Dan Jones, who conducted the poll, told the Tribune.
Hatch had said 2012 would be his last election, but he said he might reconsider if he was close to passing U.S. tax reform, according to the paper.
The poll also revealed former Gov. Jon Huntsman, R-Utah, is a 62-21 percent favorite over Hatch for the Utah Senate seat in 2018. Huntsman's brother, Paul, owns the Tribune, which conducted the poll and published the results.
"Regardless of poll numbers and 2018 politics, we should all be grateful for Sen. Hatch's service to our state and country," Jon Huntsman told the paper.
The poll surveyed 605 registered voters between Jan. 9-16 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.98 percent.
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