SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes knows he's swimming against the tide of Utah's Republican Party and the Utah electorate in general when he declares his support for Donald Trump for President.
"When I decided to engage in national and presidential races it wasn't with my own political career in mind," Hughes told FOX 13 News in a live interview on Facebook.
Hughes made the endorsement after his previous favorite, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, dropped out of the race after losing to Trump in his home state.
Hughes said he watched the debates with his son, who said of Rubio's prepared remarks, "I think he's repeating the same thing."
"I think America has become tired of that," Hughes said.
But Utah isn't resembling the rest of red-state America in the 2016 election cycle. The latest poll of likely Republican caucus goers shows Trump with just 11 percent support in Utah compared with 29 percent for Ohio Governor John Kasich and 53 percent for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
So how does Hughes respond to Trump critics who point to personal insults and violence at rallies for the New York billionaire? Watch the Facebook live conversation here: https://www.facebook.com/maxwellroth/videos/1309679775725725/
