Will Greene be hindrance in GOP race?

Most Utahns say the choice of lieutenant governor running mates by Republican gubernatorial candidates Jon Huntsman Jr. and Nolan Karras makes no difference in how they will cast their GOP primary ballots June 22, a new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll shows.

However, among those who say the running mates do make a difference, former U.S. Rep. Enid Greene is more of a hindrance to Karras than an asset, pollster Dan Jones & Associates found in a survey conducted last week.

Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert, Huntsman's running mate, has almost no influence on the race, with 9 percent saying Herbert on the ticket makes them more likely to vote for Huntsman, 4 percent saying Herbert makes it less likely.

But a large 79 percent said having Herbert on the ticket would not affect who they would vote for in the gubernatorial primary.

While 54 percent said Greene's presence with Karras also made no difference, 26 percent said she made it much less or somewhat less likely they would cast a Karras ballot in the primary, while 9 percent said Greene made it much more or somewhat more likely they'd vote for Karras.

Some have wondered if Greene's controversial past would have any impact on Karras' candidacy. The newspaper and TV station asked the question in an effort to read the public's opinion on the possible return of Greene to elective office. The survey of 400 Utahns has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.0 percent, said Jones.

Karras says, and it is generally believed, that Greene was a major factor in helping Karras get out of the May 8 state GOP convention.

In announcing Greene as his lieutenant governor running mate at the Salt Lake County Republican Convention held three weeks before the state convention, Karras said his campaign among eight GOP candidates for governor needed a "jump-start."

Greene was elected state GOP vice chairwoman in August by party delegates. And she clearly has a following among some of the party faithful.

But it remained unclear if other Utahns, including independents and Republicans who don't follow politics closely, are ready to vote for Greene again.

Only registered Republicans can vote in the GOP primary. However, most Utahns are officially "unaffiliated" — they don't belong to any party. And unaffiliated voters can register as a Republican at the polls, pick up a GOP ballot and vote. Registered Democrats, or someone registered in a minor party, cannot vote in the GOP primary.