--- title: Donald Trump: Why Utah Doesn't Like Him description: If there is a heart to the scattershot Never Trump movement, it is probably in Utah. canonical: https://time.com/4397192/donald-trump-utah-gary-johnson/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-10T13:52:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:05.206Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Utah Doesn't Like Trump og:description: State voters don't like the candidate's style. og:url: https://time.com/4397192/donald-trump-utah-gary-johnson/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0b9c1d2ac25e27ad/69889b615f570f00a2b21a6b/utah-trump-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: GOP 2016 Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Utah Doesn't Like Trump twitter:description: State voters don't like the candidate's style. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0b9c1d2ac25e27ad/69889b615f570f00a2b21a6b/utah-trump-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Utah Doesn't Like Donald Trump > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: The Libertarian Taking on Trump & Clinton [Watch (HLS stream): The Libertarian Taking on Trump & Clinton](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dAVW0edl.m3u8) (1:16)  _Published 2016-05-27. Donald Trump is almost certain to be the most unpopular presidential nominee of a major party in modern times. Hillary Clinton is running a close second. And voters’ historic distaste for Clinton and Trump has sparked a debate about whether a third-p_ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 10, 2016 1:52 PM UTC  Brothers Noah, left and Owen Burket hold signs as they protest with their family at a rally outside the Infinity Events Center in Salt Lake City, where Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump held a campaign rally on March 18, 2016. Brothers Noah, left and Owen Burket hold signs as they protest with their family at a rally outside the Infinity Events Center in Salt Lake City, where Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump held a campaign rally on March 18, 2016. Benjamin Zack—AP by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 10, 2016 1:52 PM UTC If there is a heart to the scattershot Never Trump movement, it is probably in Utah. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney [has been the spokesman](http://time.com/4246596/donald-trump-mitt-romney-utah-speech/) for Republicans who reject Donald Trump, while Sen. Mike Lee is one of the more vocal critics of his campaign in Congress. Trump had one of his [worst showings](http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-has-been-trumps-worst-state-cruzs-best) in the Beehive State primary, while a June poll by the [Salt Lake _Tribune_](http://www.sltrib.com/news/3993058-155/poll-trumps-unpopularity-could-swing-utahns) had him basically tied with Hillary Clinton in a place that hasn’t gone for a Democrat since 1964. Experts say that Trump’s troubles in Utah stem from the religious values of the state’s Mormon population and the candidate’s personal style. “What is making Donald Trump popular in other states is exactly what’s making him somewhat unpopular here in the state of Utah,” said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute at the University of Utah. “That straight-talking brashness that has made Donald Trump popular in many parts of the states … is not the kind of politician we usually see in the state of Utah.” Trump’s problems date back to at least December, when he [called for banning the entrance of Muslims](http://time.com/4140201/trump-faces-backlash-for-muslim-ban/) into the U.S. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded with a statement [reaffirming its support for religious freedom](http://www.sltrib.com/home/3282686-155/mormon-church-backs-religious-liberty-after). “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral in regard to party politics and election campaigns,” [the statement said](https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-says-it-is-not-neutral-about-religious-freedom?lang=eng). “However, it is not neutral in relation to religious freedom.” For now, it seems unlikely that Trump could actually lose Utah. The _Tribune_ poll showed 13 percent support for former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who is running on the Libertarian ticket, but [pollsters are wary](http://time.com/4390199/pollsters-third-party-candidates/) of surveys showing strong third-party support, as voters often stand by their party in the privacy of the ballot booth. Johnson’s campaign is based in Salt Lake City, but he told TIME that was largely because his Ron Nielson, who ran his gubernatorial campaigns, set up shop there. For now, he hasn’t made a serious effort to target the state, though he said that may change. “I think that that will be a strategy that unfolds going forward, but so far there is no strategy,” Johnson told TIME during a recent visit to Washington. “That will change. … I have no doubt that there will be a Utah strategy.” Two of the three major presidential forecasters, [Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball](http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2016-president/) and the [Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report](http://rothenberggonzales.com/ratings/president) have downgraded the state from a sure-fire Republican win to a likely one, though the [Cook Political Report](http://cookpolitical.com/presidential/charts/scorecard) still lists it as solid red state. Neither the Clinton or Trump campaigns are putting resources into organizing the state right now. Perry said that Johnson has the potential to disrupt the Utah vote in November, though it’s not yet clear how that could tilt the outcome. “Every vote that Gary Johnson starts to get hurts both of those candidates,” he said. “It’s not completely clear at this stage whether that helps Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump the most.” ## Transcript Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have given the Libertarians a gift by being the most polarizing presidential candidates, possibly in the history of- [ MUSIC ] He's fiscally conservative and socially cool. [ MUSIC ] What's wrong with Donald Trump? [ LAUGH ] But in my entire life, I've never said anything as stupid as deporting 11 million illegal immigrants. [ LAUGH ] [ MUSIC ] I will be on the ballot in all 50 states alongside the Democrat and Republican candidates for president, assistant Governor Gary Johnson [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4397192/donald-trump-utah-gary-johnson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4397192/donald-trump-utah-gary-johnson/"},"headline":"Why Utah Doesn't Like Donald Trump","datePublished":"2016-07-10T13:52:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:42:05.206Z","description":"If there is a heart to the scattershot Never Trump movement, it is probably in Utah.","url":"https://time.com/4397192/donald-trump-utah-gary-johnson/","keywords":["Donald Trump","2016 Election","Utah","faith","Gary Johnson"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0b9c1d2ac25e27ad/69889b615f570f00a2b21a6b/utah-trump-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0b9c1d2ac25e27ad/69889b615f570f00a2b21a6b/utah-trump-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GOP 2016 Trump","caption":"Brothers Noah, left and Owen Burket hold signs as they protest with their family at a rally outside the Infinity Events Center in Salt Lake City, where Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump held a campaign rally on March 18, 2016.","creditText":"Benjamin Zack—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4397192/donald-trump-utah-gary-johnson/","name":"Why Utah Doesn't Like Donald Trump"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Libertarian Taking on Trump & Clinton","description":"Donald Trump is almost certain to be the most unpopular presidential nominee of a major party in modern times. 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