WASHINGTON — Despite initial complaints that a newly proposed congressional map in Utah gives an unfair advantage to Republicans, national Democrats are bullish about their chances to flip a U.S. House seat in next year’s midterm elections.
The Utah legislature approved a new version of its congressional map on Monday, altering the state’s boundaries for its four federal congressional districts. The map would solidify two of the seats — Districts 1 and Districts 4, which encompass northern Utah and southwestern Utah, respectively — as solidly Republican.
But it would make Districts 2 and 3 much more competitive, with some analyses putting them at R+11 and R+6, respectively.
Despite being approved by the legislature on Monday, the map still faces a number of obstacles before it can be set in stone. A judge in Utah’s Third District Court must approve the new boundaries as compliant with Proposition 4 rules that the districts are not illegally partisan.
While Democrats argue the new boundaries in the map titled “Option C” are still unfairly tilted toward Republicans, national groups are signaling they’re ready to battle to unseat one of the four Republican incumbents.
“Utah Republicans are once again ignoring the will of voters in a desperate attempt to hold onto power,” Lindsay Reilly, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told the Deseret News. “By passing a gerrymandered map that divides communities, Utah Republicans are making clear they work for themselves, not for Utahns.”
“But make no mistake,” she added, “this scheme will blow up in Republicans’ faces. Option C includes a real pickup opportunity for Democrats. If this Republican gerrymander goes through, Democrats are ready to fight for this seat.”
Democrats say new map opens door to topple GOP stronghold
The hourslong process during the special session on Monday was not completed without accusations of partisan gerrymandering from Democrats toward their Republican colleagues. State Democrats denounced the map option, which was approved by the GOP-led legislature, as being “engineered by and for Republican politicians to entrench their power.”
“Utah GOP leadership has openly acknowledged that this version is the only one that would ‘defeat Democrats,’” the Utah Democratic Party said in a statement. “There is no amount of statistical spin or rushed legislative process that can hide their true intentions: to continue rigging the game in their party’s favor.”
Democrats are also decrying a new bill that was passed during the legislature’s special session to implement a “partisan bias test” for future maps, which will be applied to the boundaries approved on Monday. The required tests would essentially ensure each district reflects Utah’s electoral history, which Democrats argue is a way to cement Republican power.
Still, Democrats say the new boundaries will still give them a shot, albeit difficult, at flipping a House seat next November.
“They’re trying to rewrite the rules mid-game to push through a partisan gerrymander. But this scheme will backfire,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. “Utahns are furious that Republicans are trying to rig the rules, and Option C includes a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats.”
The changes in Utah are capturing the attention of national groups, with a number of Democratic operatives telling the Deseret News it opens an opportunity for campaigning. That could mean national money being poured into the Beehive state for the first time in years.
But Republicans are confident in their chances, telling the Deseret News the GOP stronghold that has long dominated Utah will remain intact.
“No matter how the lines are drawn, Republicans will keep winning in Utah because voters trust our record of results and leadership,” Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told the Deseret News in a statement. “We’ve delivered for working families and will continue to earn the support of Utahans.”
Democrats needs to net three seats in the 2026 midterm elections to wrest control of the House. The party also has historical precedence on its side as trends show that the party of the sitting president typically loses control of the House during midterm elections.
The new map thrusts Utah into the middle of a national redistricting war taking place in states such as Texas and California as leaders in both parties examine congressional boundaries and how they can be altered ahead of the midterm elections.