SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah voters are headed to the polls to cast their votes in the state’s first presidential primary held on Super Tuesday, the high-profile series of contests held in delegate-rich states.
The Democratic front-runner is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, though Utah voters have also been courted by moderates in the weeks leading up to the contest. The Democratic primary is open in Utah, so voters can cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation.
“I like Bernie because he supports the working man and woman,” said Emily Tonkovich, 32, who works in sales in the medical industry. “Healthcare is important, taxing people with extreme income. I just think it’s fair.”
While Sanders has a deep well of popularity with the state’s left-leaning voters, some in the Republican majority have not fully embraced President Donald Trump and moderates see an opportunity to woo middle-of-the-road voters with a pitch that they offer the best chance to unseat the president.
Rob Applegarth, a 67-year-old respiratory therapist from Riverton, said that’s why he voted for former Vice President Joe Biden. While he personally likes some of Sanders ideas, he thinks Biden can bring in a bigger coalition. “I think Bernie scares people off,” he said.
His wife Suzy Applegarth, on the other hand, voted for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “If she was a man, she’d be winning,” said Suzy Applegarth, 59, a registered nurse.
Salt Lake County, the state’s most populous, has sent out nearly 333,000 mail-in ballots, and more than 40% were for the Democratic primary, according to the county clerk. That’s larger that the county’s proportion of registered Democrats, an indication of the enthusiasm for the contest.
Most Utah county votes by mail, but polls will be open for traditional voting as well. The state also allows same-day voter registration.
Utah has 35 Democratic delegates, six are super delegates and 29 are pledged. They’re awarded on a proportional basis, though the allotment isn’t expected to announced immediately.
