Ashdown, who is CEO and chairman of Utah-based XMission, an Internet service provider, said Hatch "has done a good job in (what Utahns wanted ) over the last 50 years." (Hatch has actually served 28 years in the Senate.)

"But it's time to look forward to the next century. Our grass-roots efforts show that there is a viable alternative to Sen. Hatch" — Ashdown himself, he said.

Jones' poll shows that, as expected, a lot of Republicans believe Hatch should be re-elected — 60 percent. But 33 percent of Republicans said it's time to let someone new serve in the seat.

Just last week, state House Majority Whip Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, got out of an intra-party challenge to Hatch, a campaign that Urquhart had been running over the summer.

Hansen said if Urquhart had not been criticizing Hatch in public, and within loyal Republican Party circles, Hatch "would certainly have been over 50 percent" in the naked re-elect poll.

Utah is a heavily GOP state, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats by more than 2-to-1. But Democrats and political independents together can beat a GOP candidate, as Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has shown repeatedly in the 2nd Congressional District. And Jones found that only 16 percent of Democrats want Hatch re-elected, only 31 percent of independents want the senator to serve another six years.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats said it's time to give someone new a chance to serve; while 61 percent of independents say elect someone new next year, Jones found.

But Hansen said those numbers don't trouble him. "Sure, some say pick someone new. But then when (the Democrats or unhappy Republicans put up a name) they say, "We didn't mean that guy,' " said Hansen.

While President Bush, whom Hatch has staunchly supported over the years, is still popular in Utah, even here Bush's job approval numbers are suffering, noted Hansen. And that could be dragging down Hatch as well.

"But we are a year away from the election. We have yet to make our case" to citizens "on how the senator is helping Utah and the nation; a year for (voters) to feel comfortable in giving him another term," said Hansen.

At the time of the November 2006 election, "these poll numbers today won't even be remembered," Hansen said.

---

E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com