Utah has been a Republican stronghold for a long time.

The Senate race this fall could potentially shake up state politics, as incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee faces independent Evan McMullin.

According to the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, Lee received the support of 42% of respondents, while McMullin received the support of 36%. 8% of respondents said they weren't sure.

Lee's job approval rating stood at 45%, with 45% disapproving of the two-term senator's performance and 7 percent with no opinion.

There was a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

The director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah told Deseret News that the state hasn't seen a Senate race like this in decades.

Both Lee and McMullin have a base of support and will spend the next few months in a fight to win over the few who are undecided. He told the news outlet that the race is going to cost a lot of money.

Evan McMullin
Independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, file

McMullin is banking on discontent among some Republicans concerning the incumbent's movement toward Trump's political sphere of influence in recent years, while Lee is looking to take advantage of the GOP base in what is expected to be a strong year for the party.

Lee lost a lot of the vote to his opponents in the GOP primary last month. He got the lion's share of the party vote, with over half of it going to him.

While most Republicans across the country criticized Lee for his lack of independence from Trump,Edwards and Isom criticized Lee for being less partisan.

The state's Democratic Party threw their support behind McMullin because they didn't field a candidate of their own. Since 1970, the Democrats have not won a Senate race in Utah.

McMullin told NBC News that he wouldn't caucus with either major party if he were elected to office.

Lee supported all of Trump's Supreme Court judicial nominees, but McMullin wouldn't say if he would have supported one of them.

McMullin said he would have voted for Jackson, who was confirmed by a 53-47 margin with the support of 50 Democrats and three Republicans.

Romney, who has been critical of Trump, was part of the small group that supported Jackson.