After a new congressional map survived a slew of legal challenges and solidified a strong Democratic district nestled in the northern part of Salt Lake County, the four members of Utah’s all-Republican House delegation now face a burning question: Where to run in 2026?
It’s a question the lawmakers have ducked for months, telling the Deseret News they would not make their plans official until they were certain what the boundaries would be. But at least one member of the delegation has begun to shift his district of choice, with the others still uncertain.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, has already started gathering signatures to run for Utah’s new 2nd District, which encompasses the northern part of the state and contains most of the same constituents he already represents in the former 1st District. Moore, who holds the fifth-highest ranking leadership position in the House GOP Conference, has verified more than 4,000 signatures — more than half the 7,000 required to qualify for the ballot.
But the other Utah House members have yet to declare a bid for the other three districts — raising questions about which incumbent, if any, will attempt to run in the now-strongly Democratic 4th District. The incumbents will officially file in March, according to the Utah elections website.
Although the map brings an end to the Republican stronghold the state has enjoyed in its congressional delegation since 2020, the court’s decision on Monday may at least provide some clarity for the incumbents.
For months, the lawmakers have had to watch patiently as their districts were erased, changed and challenged — leaving them uncertain where to campaign until the map was official.
Rep. Celeste Maloy told the Deseret News earlier this month that the uncertainty has caused frustration for herself and her campaign team as they waited for an answer on where to focus their resources. That has delayed hosting certain campaign events and knowing which constituents to target in their outreach efforts.
“It’s been frustrating for me, for my campaign team, for everybody, because we should be out doing a lot of campaign events right now,” said Maloy, who has not announced which district she’ll run in. “I’ve been fundraising, making sure as soon as we’re ready to go, we have all the resources we need, and we can hit the ground running.”
Reps. Burgess Owens and Mike Kennedy have also not yet announced where they would run. The Deseret News has contacted all four campaigns for comment.
With the new map, Utah is poised to become one of the biggest battleground states in the 2026 midterm elections.
With current margins in the House, Democrats only need a net gain of four seats to win back the majority for the first time since 2022. With several contested seats across the country, Utah’s potentially new blue-leaning district could help hand Democrats a victory.