Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, Utah's longest-serving female legislator, won't run for reelection in 2026.
- She served 26 years focusing on education and passed life-saving naloxone legislation.
- Spackman Moss expressed gratitude to constituents and students, emphasizing continued care for Utah's people.
HOLLADAY — Utah's longest-serving female lawmaker announced Monday that she will not seek reelection next year and will conclude her service after 26 years in the Utah Legislature.
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, was first elected in 2000 and broke the record of tenure as a female lawmaker in 2023. She announced the upcoming general legislative session will be her last and "will mark the close of an incredibly rewarding chapter in my life of public service."
"It has been a great honor to represent House District 34, but nothing has shaped my service more than the thousands of students I had the privilege of teaching in my English and student government classes for 33 years at Olympus High School," Spackman Moss said. "During those years, I learned how to help students succeed and how our laws and policies can facilitate teachers' ability to reach all students."
This follows a string of announcements from other Utah lawmakers who have decided not to seek reelection. They include House Majority Assistant Whip Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville, who was just elected to leadership this year; Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, who previously served in House GOP leadership; and Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, who was Utah's first Black woman in the Legislature.
"Rep. Carol Spackman Moss has been a force for good in the Utah Legislature," said House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, in a statement. "As the longest serving woman legislator in Utah's history, she has inspired countless others to step into leadership roles."
Romero added that Spackman Moss has advocated for Utahns in several capacities — including as a legislator and a teacher — and "will continue to lift up those around her."
Much of Spackman Moss' time in the Legislature has been focused on education. She currently serves on the House Education Committee and on the budget committee over public education. She also passed legislation to get naloxone into the hands of police officers, and eventually, all Utahns, without a prescription, in order to reverse drug overdoses — a policy she said has helped save thousands of lives.
The Democrats hold a super-minority in the Utah Legislature. Their numbers in the House of Representatives have shrunk from 22 to 14 since Spackman Moss was first elected.
"I'm in the minority, so you have to really work hard — harder, I'd say, than if you're in the majority," she told KSL in 2023. "But I learned quickly that you have to reach out."
Spackman Moss said now "is the right time to pass the torch," but said she is not done caring about Utah and its people.
"I am deeply grateful to my constituents who trusted and supported me, and for my family for their unwavering support," she said. "Most of all, I am indebted to all my students who will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life."
The 2026 general legislative session kicks off on Jan. 20. Candidates have until Jan. 2 to file to run to fill her seat in House District 34, which covers parts of Holladay, Millcreek, Murray and Taylorsville.
