KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Candidates have until Friday to file for Utah's four congressional seats.
- 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 candidates have until Friday to file to run for one of the state's four congressional seats.
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.
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. Blouin announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
- Michael Farrell is a Salt Lake City-based tax attorney, according to his campaign website. He is collecting signatures and competing at the convention.
- Derek Kitchen is a former state senator who later served in the Biden administration. Kitchen announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
- Eva Lopez Chavez serves on the Salt Lake City Council and works for a modular housing firm, per her campaign website. Lopez Chavez announced her campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
- Ben McAdams is collecting signatures and competing at 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. Riebe announced her campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
- Luis Villarreal is a software engineer, according to his LinkedIn profile. Villareal announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
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
- 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 the founder and CEO of an online audio and video media company, according to his LinkedIn profile. Gillins announced his campaign but has not yet filed with the state election website, according to the site.
- 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.
Republican
- 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
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. Udell announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
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.
Libertarian
- Taylor Wright hosts "The Saving Humanity Podcast, according to his social media profile. He is competing only at the convention.
Republican
- 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 announced his campaign but has not yet filed, according to the state election website.
- 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.
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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Bridger Beal-Cvetko is a reporter for KSL. He covers politics, Salt Lake County communities and breaking news. Bridger has worked for the Deseret News and graduated from Utah Valley University.
