Poll: Obama gains support in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Republican John McCain's support in solidly Republican Utah has slipped while Democrat Barack Obama's poll numbers are on the rise, a poll indicates.

A Deseret News/KSL-TV poll indicates that 57 percent of registered voters in Utah support McCain, down from 62 percent in September. Obama has seen his support in the state increase from 24 percent last month to 32 percent, the Deseret Morning News reported Sunday.

The poll of 1,205 registered voters was conducted Oct. 24- Oct. 30. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

"It's been a long time since a Democrat's done that well," pollster Dan Jones said.

Jones said some Utahans may resent McCain for beating out Mitt Romney, the former leader of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and a Mormon, for the GOP nomination.

"We're confident we'll win Utah," said McCain's Western states regional coordinator, Tim Bridgewater.

Kirk Jowers, director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics and head of Utah Lawyers for McCain, said the poll results reflect McCain's tough month on the campaign trail.

"McCain is still cruising to an easy victory here in Utah," Jowers said. "Obama has seen a strong increase in support across the nation, and this poll shows that Utah is also caught up in that momentum."