Utah judge orders state to draw new congressional maps before 2026

A Utah judge ruled the state must redraw its congressional maps before the 2026 midterms, creating uncertainty about districts that have favored Republicans as both parties seek to reshape political boundaries.

Judge Dianna Gibson ruled on Monday the state can no longer use maps that carved up Salt Lake City, a Democratic stronghold in an otherwise red state, and must draw new lines using an independent commission in compliance with a 2018 ballot measure approved by Utah voters.

The decision thrusts the state into a nationwide redistricting fight ignited by President Donald Trump’s demand that Texas Republicans carve out five new districts to favor the party ahead of the midterms. That in turn drove California Democrats, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, to ask voters in the state to approve a new political map that may lead to five new blue-majority districts.

An independent redraw of Utah’s four congressional districts could make one seat competitive for Democrats, depending on how the maps are drawn. Before Utah Republicans overruled the state’s independent commission and drew partisan maps in 2021, former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams won a Salt Lake City-area district in 2018.

Still, Republicans are expected to maintain a majority of the congressional seats in the state, where Trump won nearly 60 percent of the vote last year.

Gibson asked the state’s Legislature to submit remedial maps for consideration in 30 days and allowed new proposals for districts from the groups that sued to nullify the state’s maps as well as third-party organizations.

The Utah Democratic Party heralded the ruling as a victory and projected optimism about the chances of competing in newly drawn Utah congressional districts.

“Finally, despite the best efforts of the legislative supermajority, Utahns will be getting fair maps and real representation, something they voted for nearly eight years ago,” Utah Democratic Party chair Brian King said in a statement. “Utah Democrats are ready to hit the ground running next year, and we look forward to holding Republicans accountable to their constituents in these new, fairly-drawn districts.”

The potential for independently drawn maps could give Democrats another avenue to counter Republicans who have pushed governors in Indiana, Missouri and Florida to take up mid-decade redistricting ahead of the midterms. Democrats have fewer opportunities to gain new Democratic-leaning districts through redistricting, although New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore have indicated an openness to redrawing the maps in their states.