Utah Judge Approves New Congressional Map, Favoring Democrats

Tue Nov 11 2025 13:29:06 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a significant ruling, a Utah judge has adopted a congressional map favoring Democrats just before the 2026 midterm elections, raising questions about gerrymandering in the state.

A Utah judge has rejected a Republican-drawn congressional map that favored their party, instead adopting a proposal that creates a Democrat-leaning district. The ruling comes at a critical time as Republicans maintain all four congressional seats in the state. With this ruling, Democrats hope to capitalize on the opportunity to gain ground in Utah, marking a notable shift following years of GOP dominance in local elections.

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. If they failed, Gibson warned she may consider other maps submitted by plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led her to throw out Utah’s existing map.

The judge ultimately selected a map drawn by plaintiffs, the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government. It keeps Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was the case previously.

The newly approved map gives Democrats a much stronger chance to flip a seat in a state that has not had a Democrat in Congress since early 2021.

“This is a win for every Utahn,” said state House and Senate Democrats in a joint statement. “We took an oath to serve the people of Utah, and fair representation is the truest measure of that promise.”

The ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle as President Donald Trump urged other Republican-led states to consider mid-decade redistricting to help the GOP retain control of the House in 2026.

Redistricting typically occurs once a decade after a census, but as shown in Utah, there are opportunities for mid-decade adjustments. This ruling offers an unexpected boost to Democrats, who often struggle with redistricting in conservative strongholds.

Republicans have argued that Judge Gibson overstepped her authority by enacting a non-legislatively approved map. State Rep. Matt MacPherson criticized the ruling, calling it a “gross abuse of power” and stated that he has proposed a bill to pursue impeachment against Gibson.

Despite opposition from GOP members, the ruling is viewed by many as a pivotal moment for increasing Democratic representation in Utah, reflecting widespread concerns over gerrymandering practices.