WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. is joining Utah Republicans’ efforts to eliminate the congressional map approved by the state Legislature this month that could put two of Utah’s House districts in play for Democrats.
Trump Jr. posted a link to the Utah GOP’s statewide initiative to recruit volunteers and paid activists to gather signatures for two initiatives: First, the party’s referendum that would undo the new congressional districts and second, to repeal Prop 4, an anti-gerrymandering initiative passed in 2018 that outlines requirements for redistricting and created an independent commission to recommend congressional maps every 10 years.
“Urgent!!” Trump Jr. posted on X with two siren emojis. “RINO judges & liberal groups are trying to STEAL two GOP house seats in Utah. You can stop it!”
The Utah GOP announced last week it would be filing a referendum petition to eliminate the new congressional districts greenlighted by the Legislature last week. The map would solidify two of the seats — District 1 and District 4, which encompass northern Utah and southwestern Utah, respectively — as solidly Republican while making Districts 2 and 3 much more competitive.
The referendum, if it receives the required 150,000 signatures, could mean the map would be thrown out and instead place it on the 2026 ballot for voters to approve. Those signatures would need to be collected by Nov. 10.
That has put Utah GOP leaders into a scramble to gather the required signatures, prompting them to ask for help from both Utah residents and “out-of-state patriots.”
“We have a very specific kind of time frame. It’s relatively short,” Utah GOP Chairman Rob Axson said last week. “But there is a groundswell of concern here in Utah, from Utahns who do not like to see our state moving towards a direct democracy. We are a republic. Our country is one. Our state is one. And so there is a groundswell of support here, and we’re confident that we will have the support necessary to get this past the finish line.”
Because of the short timeframe, just about four weeks from the day Republicans filed the referendum, Axson said they would need to rely on both volunteers and paid employees.
“We want to be successful,” Axson said. “Now, a key thing, though, that I think is important for any Utahn to consider, it’s worth doing the right thing.”
The potential new map Utah has captured the attention of national groups such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Democrats’ main fundraising arm, and the Democratic National Committee — with both groups telling the Deseret News they are keeping a close eye on the final outcome. Depending on how the final districts are configured, sources tell the Deseret News, Democrats could pick up one or two seats in the Beehive State — making it key to the competitive midterm elections next year.
Democrats only need 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.
A new map could also thrust 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.