Why Mitt Romney loses points with Utah Republicans, scores big with Democrats

Maybe it’s because he bucked former President Donald Trump one too many times.

Maybe it’s because he called his Republican colleagues’ plan to challenge the 2020 presidential election an egregious ploy.

Maybe it’s because he was one of the first GOP senators to acknowledge Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.

Or maybe Utah Republicans just don’t like Sen. Mitt Romney, and never will.

A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found 64% of Republicans in the state disapprove of his job performance, including half who strongly disapprove.

While the first-term senator’s overall 50% approval rating among Utah voters is only slightly lower than where it has been the past year, his 46% disapproval in the latest survey is higher than ever.

Romney was often on the same page as the former president regarding policy, but he didn’t shy away from calling Trump out, especially when it came to matters of character.

“His comments about President Trump escalated over the past several months, particularly the last couple of weeks,” noted Jason Perry, director the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.