Bryan Schott

Republicans will control the Utah Legislature after Nov. 3. The open question is whether a national Democratic surge could threaten the Republican supermajority in the Utah House that has stood for more than 30 years. Democrats lead the national generic congressional ballot by about 9 points, and Utah Political Watch’s race ratings have moved with it. Every change since August has favored Democrats. The House map has gone from zero toss-ups to seven. The Senate has gone from one competitive rac

Utah Political Watch goes live Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. as the 2026 election results come in

Republicans are still heavily favored to keep control of the Utah House, but Democratic candidates have spent the fall closing in, according to Utah Political Watch’s final House ratings before the Nov. 3 election. The ratings draw on the final pre-election campaign finance reports, which cover fundraising through Oct. 22, and on the national political environment, where Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by about 9 points. Democratic candidates in race after race this fall raised

With Election Day on Nov. 3 and ballots already in voters’ hands, Utah Political Watch has released its final Utah Senate race ratings of the 2026 cycle. In August, only one Senate race on our map was rated as competitive. Today there are three, and no rating has moved toward Republicans since the summer. Democrats now lead the generic congressional ballot by about 9 points. Utah’s legislative maps are built to withstand swings like that, and Republicans are guaranteed to keep control of the S

Utah voters have swung sharply against Amendment B, a proposed constitutional change that would require 60% approval for citizen ballot initiatives that raise taxes, a new poll shows. Noble Predictive Insights found that 56% of likely voters plan to vote no, 34% plan to vote yes and 10% are unsure. In September, the same pollster had 50% of Utahns saying yes and 21% saying no. Opposition has jumped 35 points since then, while support has dropped 16 points. Amendment B would apply to statewide

One week. That’s all that stands between us and the end of the 2026 midterms. But before we get there, there’s plenty to dig into on this episode of "Special Session." * Early ballot data shows Utah Democrats are mailing theirs back at a much higher rate than anyone else, while independents are sitting on theirs. * Why that “independent voter surge” story you saw last week isn’t quite what it seems. * A federal judge tossed the DOJ’s grab for Utah’s voter rolls. * Follow the money behind s

Join our livestream, "What the Heck is Happening in Utah Politics?" We're live at 7:30 pm talking about the latest Utah political news and taking your questions. Watch below or on your streaming platform of choice: * YouTube * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok * Twitch If you miss the show, you can catch it tomorrow on YouTube.

The lead private developer tied to the Military Installation Development Authority’s (MIDA) Deer Valley Resort expansion has given more than $60,000 to Republican legislators, candidates and campaign committees since the start of October. Most of the money went to Senate leaders and to lawmakers whose districts include MIDA projects. Gershon “Gary” Barnett runs Extell Development, the main private partner in MIDA’s Military Recreation Facility Project Area. Barnett and his wife, Ayala, gave $55

Last week, Utah sued the online prediction market Kalshi, alleging the platform violated the state’s anti-gambling laws. On Tuesday, the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Utah to stop the state from enforcing its anti-gambling laws against those markets. The CFTC’s complaint, which names Attorney General Derek Brown and the state, argues that Congress gave the agency exclusive oversight of these markets. That means Utah can’t prohibit companies that operate under the CFTC’s rule

Mailers attacking Republican candidates in three competitive Utah House races are arriving in voters’ mailboxes ahead of next week’s election. Much of the money behind them traces to one progressive-leaning, Wyoming-based nonprofit. The Western Futures Fund, which gives grants to progressive advocacy groups and political action committees across the West, gave $140,000 in late September to the Majority Matters PAC, which sent mailers in two of the races. Over the past two years, it has also giv

A federal judge on Friday dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson seeking Utah’s full voter list, including sensitive personal data. The ruling ends, for now, the Trump administration’s attempt to force Henderson to hand it over. U.S. District Judge David Barlow granted motions to dismiss filed by Henderson, the NAACP and the League of Women Voters of Utah. The dispute began last year, when the department demanded the state’s unredacted voter list,

The Utah Republican Party is mailing voters in several House districts a near copy of a 2024 mailer attacking Democrats over transgender issues, including a slogan copied word for word. The mailers bash Democratic candidates for voting against legislation that would bar transgender people from girls’ sports and female locker rooms and ban hormone treatment and surgery for minors seeking gender-affirming care. The slogan reads, “Protecting women’s sports: It’s not a Republican issue. It’s not a

A report this week said that the number of unaffiliated voters is surging in Utah while Republican registration is declining. But about a third of this year’s growth in Utah’s unaffiliated voters came from an administrative change, not from people abandoning traditional political parties. Unaffiliated active voters rose by about 29,000 this year. Democrats are up about 13,000, and Republicans are down about 7,000. Those totals are accurate. But the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office’s weekly re

Join our livestream, "What the Heck is Happening in Utah Politics?" Tuesday night at 7:30 pm If you miss the show, you can catch it tomorrow on YouTube.

Amendment B would have blocked Utah’s 2018 Medicaid expansion

Benson says new developments should prove they have enough water. The area around the project is in extreme drought.

Republicans are still favored to keep their supermajority, but the path to breaking it just got shorter

The Utah Republican and Sen. Ted Cruz say California’s decision to disbar the Trump lawyer was political and punishes protected speech.

Every rating change in Utah Political Watch’s latest update of the 2026 state Senate map moves toward Democrats. For the first time since we began publishing ratings, one race is a genuine toss-up. Four of the 15 seats on the November ballot shifted left in our latest race ratings. Three Republican-held seats moved into more competitive territory, while one is now a genuine toss-up heading into November. Which Utah Senate races could be competitive in 2026? Find out with our exclu

Join our livestream of the 2nd Congressional District debate between Republican incumbent Blake Moore and Democrat Peter Crosby. Utah Political Watch's Bryan Schott will offer live commentary. Watch on YouTube.