SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge on Monday rejected a new congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, adopting an alternate proposal creating a Democrat-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans hold all four of Utah’s U.S. House seats and had advanced a map poised to protect them. Judge Dianna Gibson ruled just before a midnight deadline that the Legislature’s new map “unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats.”
She had ordered lawmakers to draw a map that complies with standards established by voters to ensure districts don’t deliberately favor a party, a practice known as gerrymandering. Failing to do this, Gibson warned she may consider other maps submitted by plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led her to throw out Utah’s existing map.
Ultimately, Gibson selected a map drawn by the plaintiffs, the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government. This revised map keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of splitting the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts as was the case previously.
The judge’s ruling complicates expectations for Republicans in a state where they anticipated maintaining a clean sweep while working to secure additional winnable seats.
Nationally, Democrats need to net three U.S. House seats next year to reclaim control of the chamber from the GOP amid a historic trend where the president’s party tends to lose seats in midterms.
The newly approved map significantly enhances the Democrats' chance to flip a seat in Utah, a state that has not had a Democrat in Congress since early 2021. This ruling gives Democrats unexpected leverage as Republicans pushed for a plan that aimed to maintain all four GOP-held districts.
In a joint statement, House and Senate Democrats hailed the ruling as a triumph, stating, “This is a win for every Utahn. We took an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the truest measure of that promise.”
In August, Gibson had previously struck down the Utah congressional map adopted after the 2020 census, citing that the Legislature had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters.
The ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle as states navigate congressional maps leading up to the 2026 elections, with some considering redistricting efforts of their own.
If Gibson had approved the map drawn by Republican lawmakers, all four districts would have retained a Republican lean, jeopardizing the potential for Democrats to create a competitive seat.
Republicans have since outlined their disagreement with the ruling, arguing that Gibson lacks the legal authority to enact a map that wasn’t approved by the Legislature. State Rep. Matt MacPherson termed it a “gross abuse of power” and initiated a bill pursuing impeachment against Gibson.
Meanwhile, the state’s top election official indicated that Gibson’s ruling provided the essential framework for a lawful map before the imminent candidate filing period for the 2026 midterms.
