- Races for Utah's four congressional seats are set after the filing deadline passed last week.
- The 1st District may elect a Democrat due to new political maps.
- Primaries are on June 23; Election Day is Nov. 3.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's new political map is in place for the upcoming midterm elections and the races for Utah's four congressional seats are set as the filing period for candidates closed at the end of last week.
This year's filing period comes later than usual, as state lawmakers pushed it back from early January to give time to appeal a court ruling that invalidated the previous maps. Those were ultimately unsuccessful, so while legal cases are ongoing and a Republican-led group is working to overturn Utah's anti-gerrymandering law, the new maps stand for now.
Unlike the previous version, which gave Republicans an advantage in all four districts, the new map's 1st Congressional District is anchored in northern Salt Lake County and is likely to send a Democrat to Congress.
With one safe GOP position eliminated, Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, announced last week he would not seek reelection this year, leaving the other three Republicans to run again in conservative districts.
Each of the other three incumbents is facing challengers from within their own party, and the 1st Congressional District has attracted a slew of Democrats hoping to capitalize on the new district.
One of those Democrats, former state Sen. Derek Kitchen, announced last week that he would not file as a candidate.
"I'm deeply grateful to everyone who encouraged me to step forward and to the many supporters and volunteers who shared their time, ideas and energy," Kitchen said. "While this won't be my race, I care deeply about Utah's future and the people who care deeply about their neighbors, and I'm grateful to be part of that work."
Candidates can qualify for the primary ballot either by winning a certain percentage of votes during their party's nominating convention or by collecting 7,000 signatures.
Utah's primaries are on June 23, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
Here's who is running in each district, according to the latest state filing data:
1st Congressional District
Democrat
- Nate Blouin has served in the state Senate since 2023. He is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
- Michael Farrell is a Salt Lake City-based tax attorney, according to his campaign website. He is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
- Eva Lopez Chavez serves on the Salt Lake City Council and works for a modular housing firm, per her campaign website. Lopez Chavez is collecting signatures and will compete at convention.
- Ben McAdams is collecting signatures and competing at the convention and has officially met the threshold to qualify for the primary, according to state data. McAdams served as mayor of Salt Lake County and in Congress from 2019 to 2021.
- Liban Mohamed worked in public policy for TikTok until late last year, according to his LinkedIn profile. Mohamed announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
- Kathleen Riebe has been a state senator since 2019 and ran for an open congressional seat in 2023. She is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
- Luis Villarreal is a software engineer, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
Forward
- January Walker has worked for several technology companies and run for Congress in previous election cycles. She is competing at convention only.
Libertarian
- Jesse West is the vice chairman of the Salt Lake County Libertarian Party and a family law attorney, according to his LinkedIn profile. He plans to compete only in the convention process.
Republican
- Stone Fonua has run as a candidate for several different parties in the past. He plans to collect signatures and compete in the convention.
- Jonathan Lopez is running only in the GOP convention. Lopez has run before as a Democrat, according to public filing data.
- Riley Owen served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and is the CEO of Doers Network, according to his LinkedIn. He is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
- Dave Robinson is a former volunteer spokesman for the Salt Lake County GOP. He is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
2nd Congressional District
Democrat
- Peter Crosby works at a "research company that supports higher education" after working at Utah State University, according to his website. He is only competing at the convention.
- Tyler Farnsworth is a mental health nurse practitioner, according to his campaign website. He is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
- Jarom Gillins is an Army veteran who says he has also worked in various trades. He is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
- Ian Parrish has worked in automobile finance, according to his website. Parrish announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
Independent American
- Carlton Bowen is an Air Force veteran and former American Fork city councilman, according to his website. He is competing at convention only.
- Neil Hansen is a former state lawmaker who ran for state treasurer in 2024. He is competing at convention only.
Libertarian
- Daniel Cottam is a bariatric surgeon, according to Ballotpedia, who has run as a Libertarian in previous congressional races. He is competing only at the convention.
Republican
- Colton Hatch served as a combat engineer in the National Guard and now works for Utah Retirement Systems, according to his website. He will only compete at the convention.
- Karianne Lisonbee is a state representative, where she previously served as House majority assistant whip. She will only compete at the GOP convention.
- Blake Moore has served in Congress since 2021 and is the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. He is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
3rd Congressional District
Constitution
- Cassie Easley has run for office before and is studying at Southern Utah University, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is competing at the convention only.
Democrat
- Steve Merrill previously ran for a state House seat, and an online profile describes him as a "programmer." Merrill plans to collect signatures and compete at the convention.
- Kent Udell is a mechanical engineer who previously worked as a researcher at the University of Utah, according to his website. He is competing at the convention.
Libertarian
- Michael Stoddard ran for Congress in 2022, according to Ballotpedia. He is competing at convention only.
Republican
- David Harris is a retired two-star general who served as an airman during Operation Desert Storm, according to his website. He plans to collect signatures and compete at the convention.
- Phil Lyman is a former San Juan County commissioner and former state lawmaker who ran for governor in 2024. He is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
- Celeste Maloy has served in Congress since 2023, when she replaced her former boss, former Rep. Chris Stewart. She plans to collect signatures and compete at the convention.
- Tyler Murset built an online platform that he says would let constituents weigh in on every vote. He plans to vote with the majority of constituents on bills in Congress. Murset is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
4th Congressional District
Democrat
- Jonny Larsen served in the Marine Corps and later studied at the University of Utah, per his website. He plans to only compete at the convention.
- Archie Williams has worked as a heavy equipment operator, according to his Ballotpedia profile. He is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
Libertarian
- Taylor Wright hosts "The Saving Humanity Podcast, according to his social media profile. He is competing only at the convention.
Republican
- Isaiah Hardman is a former student. He is competing at the convention only.
- Scott Hatfield has worked for various government agencies, including the Utah Department of Corrections, per his website. He will compete only at the convention.
- Tyrone Jensen is a small business owner who has run several prior congressional campaigns. He plans to compete only at the convention.
- Mike Kennedy is a freshman congressman and previously served for a decade in the Utah Legislature. Kennedy is running in convention only.
- Pasitale Lupeamanu is a Marine and Army veteran and head of a nonprofit dedicated to Samoan culture, according to the organization's website. He is collecting signatures and will compete at the convention.
- Seth Stewart has spent years as a volunteer poll worker and delegate, according to his website. He plans to collect signatures and compete at the convention.
Unaffiliated
- Steven Burt is an attorney and has worked as an executive in the solar industry, according to his website.
