AP: Donald Trump secures victory in Utah

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Associated Press called former President Donald Trump the winner in Utah against his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on Tuesday night, giving him six Electoral College votes.

Polls closed statewide at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, but people were still waiting in line to vote at that hour.

Hundreds of Utahns waited outside Tuesday in snow, sleet and rain to vote for their presidential candidate.

Trump takes Utah amid GOP rifts

Winning Utah was not a concern for former President Donald Trump.

With a 61% lead in a recent poll over his Democratic competitor, Vice President Kamala Harris, who only received 31% in a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by HarrisX, both candidates pitched themselves to the state's family-oriented, religious majority.

Though the state has not voted for a Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, when it came time to vote, some Republican constituents struggled with their party's candidate.

Some Utah Republicans remained wary of Donald Trump due to various factors, including his combative style. Local leaders like Sen. Mitt Romney — whose seat is up for grabs this election — have been openly critical of Trump, further shaping public opinion.

The internal divisions within Utah's GOP were highlighted in the state's gubernatorial primary, where incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox defeated Trump-endorsed candidate Phil Lyman.

However, following his win, Cox, who had earlier withheld support from the former president, switched to a supporter.

"My commitment to him was that I would help him try to lower the temperature in this country, and I sincerely hope — from what I've heard from people around him — that he's committed to that," he said in a press conference in July.

On the other side of the Trump favorability spectrum, Utah Sen. Mike Lee went from not voting for Trump in his first run for office in 2016 to becoming one of the former president's most outspoken supporters.

Believing Trump aligns more with Utah's constituents than his rival, Lee posted on X in October that "Biden and Kamala Harris are leading a grave assault on families, children, medicine, and common sense."

Several Utah officeholders endorsed Trump, including Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy, House Speaker Mike Schultz, Attorney General Sean Reyes and Senate President Stuart Adams.

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U.S. electionsUtah electionsUtahU.S.Politics

Emma Pitts

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