Utah
Utah midterms are set: Here’s where all the Republican incumbents are running
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Reps. Celeste Maloy and Mike Kennedy made their reelection bids official this week, announcing they will run for the new 3rd District and 4th District, respectively, under the state’s newly established congressional map.
The plans were first reported by the Deseret News after weeks of discussion among the Utah delegation about how to approach the November elections under the new boundaries. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, will file in the new 2nd District, where he’s already begun gathering signatures.
“The conversations all along have been: What’s the best thing we can do to stand up for Utah, to stand up for representative government, to make sure that what’s happening is constitutional,” Maloy told the Deseret News in an interview. “But now that we’re out of options — we have to file to run next week — I’m going to run in the district that I’ve spent my adult life living in.”
The decisions come after Rep. Burgess Owens announced on Wednesday that he would not seek reelection, paving the way for Maloy and Kennedy to each choose one of the two remaining districts and avoid a messy incumbent-on-incumbent primary.
The new map reduced Republicans’ stronghold of four House seats down to three with one Democratic seat, sending the delegation into a scramble about who should run where in the new political landscape.
The redrawn boundaries especially complicated Maloy’s and Kennedy’s decisions as their two districts shifted significantly. Under the new lines, the pair both live in the new 3rd District.
But with Owens’ retirement leaving the new 4th District open, it gives room for Kennedy to run there, which leans Republican.
Kennedy to run in Utah’s 4th District
Kennedy highlighted his work in and representation of parts of the 4th District in his official announcement on Thursday.
“I’ve spent more than twenty years practicing medicine in communities throughout the Fourth District and ten years serving many of these communities in the Utah State Legislature,” Kennedy said. “I know these communities, I share their values, and I’m ready to keep fighting for Utah families in Congress.”
Kennedy and Maloy both praised Owens as he gets ready to exit Congress.
“(Owens) just did the ultimate team-player move, and people here don’t do that,” Maloy said. “I hate that this is a choice that he had to make this year, that he was forced to decide that. I have nothing but love and respect for him and how he makes his choices. … He does what’s best for the team every time, and I think he’s proving that with this decision as well.”
Kennedy said it was an “honor” to serve with Owens in Congress, adding he was “grateful for his service and his friendship.”
The reelection decisions bring an end to the monthslong game of musical chairs that garnered national attention as Democrats were given a rare pickup opportunity in the red state of Utah and the four GOP incumbents were squeezed into three seats.
Owens was long rumored to be considering a departure from public office at the end of 2026, but the Utah delegation kept its cards close to its chest until the new Utah district was solidified.
The delegation has engaged in talks with one another for months on how to proceed, with several of the incumbents telling the Deseret News that those conversations centered around what would be the best fit for the constituents in the new districts.
Still, Utah Republicans did not go down without a fight. Owens was one of two Republicans in the delegation, along with Maloy, to ask the federal courts to block the new Utah map from taking effect because it was selected by a Utah judge, not the legislature, but that request was denied.
Even with the cleared field, Maloy and Kennedy could still face primary challengers from elsewhere in the state. Republican candidates have said they will file in both the 3rd District, David Harris and Phil Lyman, and the 4th District, Stone Fonua.
Two Republican candidates have declared bids in the heavily Democratic 1st District in Salt Lake County: Riley Owen and Dave Robinson.
Candidate filings for federal races open next week and will be available from March 9-13. Primary elections will be held on June 23.
Maloy is gathering signatures to qualify for the ballot, she told the Deseret News. Since making her reelection news public, Maloy has gotten several calls from constituents back home to volunteer for signature-gathering efforts.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
It’s a big day in Utah politics! The Utah Republican Party and the Utah Democratic Party are both holding their state conventions! Max Roth is covering the Republicans at Utah Valley University in Orem and Ben Winslow is covering the Democrats at Jordan High School in Sandy. Follow along with FOX 13 News’ live blog of coverage (keep refreshing for updates):
10:13 a.m.
Here’s who is running for what right now:
Russ Slade, FOX 13 News Russ Slade, FOX 13 News
Russ Slade, FOX 13 News
Russ Slade, FOX 13 News
-Ben Winslow
9:52 a.m.
It’s going to be a big day. Delegates for each of the political parties are choosing their preferred candidates for Congressional races. For the Democrats? The big fight will be hotly contested 1st Congressional District (Ben McAdams vs. Nate Blouin vs. Liban Mohamed vs. Eva Lopez Chavez vs. Michael Farrell vs. Luis Villareal). The Republicans have multiple candidates in that race, too, but more of the interest centers around the newly-formed 2nd Congressional District (Blake Moore vs. Karianne Lisonbee) and the 3rd Congressional District (Celeste Maloy vs. Phil Lyman).
We’ll be updating throughout the day from the conventions, but things won’t really start kicking off until this afternoon.
-Ben Winslow & Max Roth
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Concerns are growing over the safety of artificial intelligence prescribing medications in Utah.
This week, in a letter to the state Department of Commerce, the Utah Medical Licensing Board called for the program’s immediate suspension, citing concerns about medical oversight and whether the technology is being deployed too quickly.
State officials said the effort is about expanding access to care, while the licensing board says patient safety could be at risk.
Some see potential in using AI to make health care faster and more accessible.
MORE | Artificial Intelligence
“I think it definitely has a future, and that future does excite me,” Travis said. “I just think right now we’re not quite there yet.”
This year, the state partnered with Doctronic to pilot an AI system to help renew prescriptions for chronic conditions.
But this week, in a letter to the state Department of Commerce, the Utah Medical Licensing Board said it was only informed after the program was already live.
The Department of Commerce told the station the board was not required to be involved and said licensed medical professionals were consulted before launch. The board has raised concerns that patients could receive outdated or suboptimal care.
State officials said all prescriptions are reviewed by a licensed physician and that there is no autonomous prescribing. They also said the goal is to expand access to care, especially in rural communities and for the uninsured, and that the board will be included in any future expansion.
“I think I’m OK with that,” Julie said. “You might not think you can trust it, but then you can’t trust some of the pharmacy people either as far as getting everything right.”
The letter can be found below:
On January 6, 2026, the State of Utah and Doctronic entered into an agreement to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system to “automate routine, guideline-based prescription renewals” for Utah residents. This system will allow “30-, 60-, or 90-day renewals for medications that have already been prescribed by a licensed provider.” The Utah Medical Licensing Board (Medical Board) was made aware of this agreement only after its implementation, once the system was already live and available for use.
The Medical Board is tasked with protecting the public in the State of Utah. While we support the legislative mandate to explore AI implementation, we also have a stewardship to protect Utah citizens. Collectively, the board has decades of medical experience across a variety of specialties, positioning us to understand the potential consequences of implementing what may seem like an innocuous task of AI-driven prescription refills.
Overseeing prescription refills is a task reserved for properly licensed medical practitioners for critical safety and clinical reasons. Each refill requires reassessment and clinical decision-making to safely adjust doses, monitor for side effects, contraindications, or new drug interactions, and ensure the medication remains effective. Patients who continue refilling medications without assessment may remain on outdated or suboptimal therapy for months or years. There is a reason prescription refills require physician authorization.
Proceeding with this agreement without consulting the Medical Board potentially places Utah citizens at risk and remains a major concern of the board. It is imperative that professionals with medical backgrounds review all proposals prior to implementation to ensure these programs do not compromise patient safety. We must not allow AI or other financial motivations to override this obligation, yet that is precisely what occurred here.
It is the strong recommendation of the Utah Medical Licensing Board that this program be immediately suspended pending further discussion.
We look forward to working with the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy to explore ways to safely implement AI in the practice of medicine.
_____
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Vegas Golden Knights return to the ice for Game 3 against the Mammoth in Utah on Friday.
This will mark the first Stanley Cup Playoff game in Salt Lake City. Active franchises have an all-time record of 12-18-1 in their first-ever postseason home game.
Vegas has a 7-4 playoff series record when tied 1-1. That record falls to 2-4 when they drop Game 3.
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is two playoff points shy (74) of surpassing Jonathan Marchessault (75) for most in franchise history.
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Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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