The Nov. 3 Midterms will land in Utah with more electricity than usual thanks to a redistricting saga that has been equal parts courtroom drama and political brawl, ultimately producing maps that look more like a geography textbook than a paint-by-numbers kit. After the courts stepped in to replace the Legislature’s heavily engineered congressional map, the state ended up with something it hasn’t seen in a long while: a genuinely competitive Democratic-leaning district anchoring its urban core. In a state often described as a sea of red with a single island of blue, the island just got a louder megaphone. And as voters in Salt Lake County adjust to their newly amplified voice, lawmakers are already working to claw back parts of the system that made the shift possible — tightening rules around citizen initiatives and revisiting the boundaries of voter-driven reform.
We won’t hit on every name you’ll see on your November ballot, but we will point out some notable hits and misses in the primaries and direct you to resources that cover the hundreds of district races underway.
A BRAND-NEW DISTRICT 1
Ben McAdams, a moderate Democrat, took roughly 60% of the vote in a crowded primary against three progressives. In the event that McAdams beats Republican Riley Owen and Libertarian Jesse West, the seat could help determine House control, since election forecasters consider it a likely Democratic pickup. Whether McAdams can retain his seat as the redistricting battle rages on is almost entirely out of his hands, but with his reputation as a pragmatic, centrist Democrat in Utah politics, he may make the conversation around redistricting calmer, more institutional, and less combative.
THE SPILLOVER: DISTRICTS 2, 3, AND 4
Redistricting’s ripple effect didn’t stop at District 1. The new map secured Utah’s remaining three districts even more for Republicans — and, in classic Utah fashion, turned what may have been a simple general election into a high-stakes game of musical chairs. Four GOP incumbents found themselves competing for just three safe seats. And even when Rep. Burgess Owens chose retirement over incumbent-to-incumbent combat, it was hardly a smooth landing for his Republican colleagues Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy, who were pulled into intraparty challenges from the more combative right flank. When the broader Republican electorate weighed in on June 23, however, both incumbents prevailed with room to spare. As is often the case, the loudest voices in the caucus don’t always decide the outcome.
THE CALM THAT WASN’T
On paper, Utah’s 2026 ballot reads like business as usual. In practice, it is anything but. Between court-drawn maps, intraparty upheaval, and the rare appearance of genuine competition in Salt Lake County, this cycle has introduced a level of volatility the state hasn’t seen in years. The question now is whether it proves to be an anomaly — or the beginning of something more enduring.
U.S. Congressional Races
District 1: Most of Salt Lake County — Ben McAdams (D) v. Riley Owen (R)
District 2: Northern Utah — Blake Moore (R) v. Peter Crosby (D)
District 3: Utah County, Southern and Eastern Utah — Celeste Maloy (R) v. Kent Udell (D)
District 4: Central-West Utah — Mike Kennedy (R) v. Johnny Larsen (D)
Notably NOT on the Ballot
Ousted: Senate President Stuart Adams
In many parts of Davis County, you’ll have trouble locating Stuart Adams’s name on your ballot. Despite being a fixture in the Utah legislature for nearly a quarter of a century, the sitting Senate president shockingly lost a reelection bid to fellow Republican Stephanie Hollist thanks to backlash over a proposed data center project in Box Elder County, which he championed. It’s the first time a sitting Senate president has lost reelection since 2002. Adams’s defeat sent shockwaves throughout the Legislature — a reminder to often uncontested leadership not to get too comfortable and lose touch with voters.
Ousted: Sen. Dan McCay
A Utah legislator for nearly 15 years, Dan McCay succumbed to rising star Doug Fiefia, whose father served in the Utah House in the ’90s. With Fiefia having been elected to Utah’s congress in 2024, his quick leapfrog into a Utah Senate race to take on a Republican colleague was unusual, but it paid off. Leveraging his tech and business background, Fiefia campaigned on data privacy laws and AI regulation, winning decisively in the primary against McCay. Now, he will face off against Democrat A. Dane Anderson in November.
Ousted: Rep. Trevor Lee
Conservative culture warrior Trevor Lee’s troubles have ranged from accusations that he leveraged his position for money to build his house and defrauded a pair of business owners to racially charged social media posts and public slurs against transgender people. His name is behind efforts to ban pride flags from government buildings and a push to rename Harvey Milk Blvd. to Charlie Kirk Blvd. Republican voters opted for a new District 16 representative on the ballot: Bob Stevenson, the current Davis County commissioner, who will run against Democrat Abigail Treasure in November.
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