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Most Of Utah’s Congressional District In “No Man’s Land” This Election

Whittney Evans
It's unclear who Utah Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz will be voting for this November.

 

Utah Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz was quick to withdraw his support of Donald Trump following a video leaked earlier this month. But a recent statement from the congressman suggests he may still vote for the GOP presidential candidate.

The video showed Trump making lewd comments about women back in 2005.

 

Here’s a quote form Chaffetz speaking to Fox 13 News on the night of October 7, just hours after the infamous Trump video was released:

 

“I’m out. I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president," he said.

 

Speaking with The Daily Caller this week, Chaffetz seemed to hint that his personal vote might still go toward Trump.

 

He said, “I’m going to watch the debate and see how the rest of the things play out, but I’m in the never-Hillary camp”

 

“He’s in an odd situation," says Chris Karpowitz, associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University. "In the sense that he really can’t support either major party nominee and yet he’s not endorsed anyone else as well so he’s kind of in a no man’s land.”

 

 

Karpowitz says this “no man’s land” is unique to 2016. It also applies to most of Utah’s congressional delegation along with Gov. Gary Herbert.

 

 

During a typical election year, a party politician endorses their candidate. Linked to that endorsement is their personal vote. But now many of these lawmakers are trying to separate the two.

 

“They do want to treat this as a spectrum," says Karpowitz. "I’m not sure voters in the past have seen it that way at all.”

 

But Karpowitz doesn’t see this indecision affecting any of their chances at re-election. Just so long as they don’t go as far as re-endorsing Trump who, according to recent polls, is as unpopular as ever among Utah voters.

 

Lee Hale began listening to KUER while he was teaching English at a Middle School in West Jordan (his one hour commute made for plenty of listening time). Inspired by what he heard he applied for the Kroc Fellowship at NPR headquarters in DC and to his surprise, he got it. Since then he has reported on topics ranging from TSA PreCheck to micro apartments in overcrowded cities to the various ways zoo animals stay cool in the summer heat. But, his primary focus has always been education and he returns to Utah to cover the same schools he was teaching in not long ago. Lee is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is also fascinated with the way religion intersects with the culture and communities of the Beehive State. He hopes to tell stories that accurately reflect the beliefs that Utahns hold dear.
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