Utah U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch is racing a tough re-election, according to a recent poll conducted by KSL/Desert News.
Mr. Hatch, a Republican, is struggling to gain support as 59 percent of voters said the Utah Republican has been in office too long and needs replacing.
Just 38 percent of voters said Mr. Hatch should be re-elected.
“The incumbent is always under attack and always starts out a little low. So that doesn’t mean anything. We’re going to win this,” Mr. Hatch said in response to the poll results.
The poll comes as Utah U.S. Senator Mike Lee, who was elected in 2010 with the support of Tea Party members, has yet to express support for his Senate colleague. Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz has expressed interest in challenging Mr. Hatch, noting that he has yet to make a decision.
“After [34] years of service, I think most Utahans want a change,” Mr. Chaffetz said in an earlier interview with Politico. “They want to thank him for his service, but it’s time to move on. And for me personally, I think he’s been on the wrong side of a host of major issues.”
According to the latest poll, Mr. Hatch and Mr. Chaffetz are in a dead heat. The poll gave Mr. Chaffetz a slight lead at 41 percent, with Mr. Hatch garners 40 percent of the votes.
