Utah independent Senate hopeful McMullin closes gap with GOP Sen. Lee: Poll

Utah independent candidate Evan McMullin has significantly closed a massive gap in polling with Sen. Mike Lee just weeks before the incumbent faces a pair of GOP primary challengers, setting up a competitive November race in the usually deep-red state.

Lee has 41% of the prospective general election vote, with McMullin nabbing 37%, according to a recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics survey. The numbers are a sign of hope for McMullin — a 2016 independent presidential candidate against Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. In a March poll for the 2022 Senate race, McMullin trailed Lee by 24 percentage points, 43% to 19%.