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 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. Gibson selected a map drawn by plaintiffs, the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, which keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was previously the case.
This ruling hampers Republican strategies in a state they expected to dominate, as Democrats aim to gain three more U.S. House seats nationwide to gain control from the GOP. The newly approved map gives Democrats a significantly stronger chance to flip a seat in a state that has not seen a Democrat in Congress since early 2021. In a joint statement, state House and Senate Democrats proclaimed, 'This is a win for every Utahn.'
In August, Gibson struck down the previous congressional map drawn after the 2020 census for circumventing anti-gerrymandering standards. This recent ruling has cast Utah into a broader national redistricting battle as discussions on mid-decade redraws gain traction in other Republican-led states. The decision grants an unexpected advantage to Democrats, who face limited opportunities for gaining seats through redistricting.
If Gibson had sighed off on the original map proposed by lawmakers, Republicans would maintain their dominance in all four districts, though two would be somewhat competitive for Democrats. The ruling arrived just minutes before the deadline for the upcoming 2026 elections, igniting further controversy among Republicans who criticized the judge's authority in this matter.
This ruling hampers Republican strategies in a state they expected to dominate, as Democrats aim to gain three more U.S. House seats nationwide to gain control from the GOP. The newly approved map gives Democrats a significantly stronger chance to flip a seat in a state that has not seen a Democrat in Congress since early 2021. In a joint statement, state House and Senate Democrats proclaimed, 'This is a win for every Utahn.'
In August, Gibson struck down the previous congressional map drawn after the 2020 census for circumventing anti-gerrymandering standards. This recent ruling has cast Utah into a broader national redistricting battle as discussions on mid-decade redraws gain traction in other Republican-led states. The decision grants an unexpected advantage to Democrats, who face limited opportunities for gaining seats through redistricting.
If Gibson had sighed off on the original map proposed by lawmakers, Republicans would maintain their dominance in all four districts, though two would be somewhat competitive for Democrats. The ruling arrived just minutes before the deadline for the upcoming 2026 elections, igniting further controversy among Republicans who criticized the judge's authority in this matter.
