Mark Shurtleff (R)
Jean Welch Hill (D)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Legal Newsline)-Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has a 45-point lead in his race against Democrat Jean Welch Hill, a poll indicates.
The Deseret News/KSL-TV poll conducted last week shows that Shurtleff leads Welch Hill 61 percent to 16 percent.
The poll also indicates that 16 percent of voters are undecided.
Taken Sept. 8 to Sept. 11, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Shurtleff, who is seeking a third term as attorney general, was re-elected in 2004 with 68 percent support in the predominately Republican state.
Hill, a longtime attorney for the Utah State Board of Education, was stripped last year by Shurtleff of her title of assistant attorney general over her official recommendation to schools not to implement a voucher system for Utah's schools.
She recently criticized Shurtleff for allegedly spending campaign
funds on himself and his family.
Hill has said if she is elected she would urge state legislators to set a $10,000 limit on campaign contributions. Utah State law currently does not limit the amount of contributions an individual, corporation or political action committee can donate to a candidate.
The most recent campaign finance disclosures show that Shurtleff has raised more than $346,000, while Hill has collected about $47,000.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.