Utah appears to be the latest state that will undergo redistricting, as a court ruling is set to lead to a redrawing of the state’s congressional map. While other redistricting efforts around the country have centered on solidifying power for the party already in power, the decision in Utah may make part of the state more competitive. This opens up an opportunity for Democrats in the state, and it could bring them one step closer to retaking a narrowly divided Congress in 2026.

Judge rules against Utah’s Republican-drawn map ahead of 2026 midterm elections

An August court ruling held that Utah’s most recent redistricting process, led by Republicans, violated state law and the protections put in place by voters against political gerrymandering. In 2018, Utah voters approved the creation of an independent districting commission to draw the state’s congressional lines. However, the Republican-controlled state legislature overturned that process in 2020, making the commission a mere advisory body and then ignoring its recommendations. The process created a situation in which all four of the state’s congressional districts were drawn to heavily favor Republicans.

The ruling issued by District Judge Dianna Gibson said Utah Republicans did not have the authority to overrule the process put in place by voters, and therefore the map created from the 2020 decision must be thrown out and replaced with one that conforms to the decisions of the redistricting commission. Doing so is expected to create at least one district within the state that will be competitive or even slightly leaning toward Democrats. The court order calls for the new map to be put in place ahead of the 2026 elections. Last week, Democrats and Republicans agreed to a schedule for the redistricting process to conform to Judge Gibson’s ruling. Republicans can still appeal Gibson’s ruling to the state Supreme Court, but experts believe the court is unlikely to rule in their favor.

Potential benefit for Democrats amid national redistricting trend

Utah’s redistricting process comes as states across the country have enacted or debated redrawing their own congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. These moves have generally been intended to make congressional maps within these states more partisan. Most notably, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican-led state legislature recently responded to a call by President Donald Trump to redraw its congressional districts. The new Texas political map, ultimately pushed through despite efforts by Democratic legislators to delay that process by leaving the state, may lead to up to five additional Republicans being elected to Congress from the state. In retaliation, California Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented a process to bypass that state’s nonpartisan redistricting process and redraw the California map to add several Democratic districts to the state. Several other states are reportedly considering partisan redistricting efforts as political competition intensifies ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

By contrast, Utah’s redistricting could make the state less partisan. Overall, Utah is a heavily Republican state; Trump and Republican congressional candidates swept the state’s elections in 2024. However, the area around Salt Lake City is significantly more Democratic-leaning than the state as a whole. The current Republican-drawn congressional map divides Salt Lake County between the state’s four congressional districts, diluting Democratic voting power; the Princeton Gerrymandering Project gives the current map an F grade for partisan fairness. By contrast, a computer simulation that drew 100,000 potential new maps based on the rules set by the Utaj Independent Redistricting Commission resulted in nearly 100% of the possible maps creating at least one district that was either competitive or Democratic-leaning, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, flipping even one seat in Utah could be a major step toward Democrats retaking control of the House. The high stakes of the 2026 election have led Republicans to try to stack the deck in their favor, which has prompted Democrats to respond in kind. For Utah, however, it appears that the process of political gerrymandering has been placed in check, which could help sway the outcome of the 2026 election.
The post Is Utah A Red State? Its Politics Could Change As A Redistricting Decision Boosts One Party’s 2026 Chances appeared first on Blavity.



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