Bryan Schott

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.

Susan Lee, a Republican running for Davis County Commission, has removed a photo of herself with her son, former state Rep. Trevor Lee, from her campaign website. He resigned from the Legislature last month after being charged with four felonies. On the “About” page, a photo of the two standing together in the Utah State Capitol has been replaced with one of Susan Lee with former House Speaker Greg Hughes and podcast host Jon Harvey. An archived version of the page from April shows the original

Watch the 4th Congressional District debate between Republican incumbent Mike Kennedy and Democrat Jonny Larsen. Host Bryan Schott will offer live commentary. Watch on YouTube.

Former Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon plans to run for Salt Lake City Mayor next year, adding his name to a field that is filling up even though incumbent Erin Mendenhall hasn’t said whether she will seek a third term. Corroon confirmed his plans Thursday. Mendenhall said in July she had not decided whether to run next year, but her pending divorce from husband Kyle LaMalfa may play a large factor in her decision. Corroon said he will focus on affordable homeownership and on helping fami

Republican Rep. Mike Kennedy meets Democratic challenger Jonny Larsen on the stage tonight. Join us for a live watch party of the 4th Congressional District debate. Host Bryan Schott provides live commentary, plus your questions and comments. The livestream pre-show starts at 5:30, followed by the live debate at 6 pm. When: Thursday, October 8 Pre-debate show: 5:30 p.m. Debate: 6 p.m. Where: YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram

Two third-party congressional candidates missed the cut for Utah’s 3rd and 4th Congressional District debates after the Utah Debate Commission quietly changed the rules at a meeting with no publicly available minutes or notes. Before this year, a candidate needed 10% in the commission's pre-debate poll after accounting for the poll's margin of error. If the margin of error was 4%, for example, a candidate needed 6% to qualify. The commission's advisory board dropped that adjustment at its Aug.

The attorneys defending the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk are now defending one of Kirk’s most outspoken advocates in the Utah Legislature. Former Utah Rep. Trevor Lee, who tried to rename a Salt Lake City Street after the conservative podcaster, has hired Kathryn Nester and Wendy Lewis, who represent Tyler Robinson, to fight four felony fraud charges. Court documents filed Monday list Nester and Lewis as Lee's legal team. Prosecutors say Lee faked documents and used false information to

A Democrat is leading in a Utah House district Donald Trump won by almost 11 points in 2024, according to an internal poll obtained by Utah Political Watch. The poll shows former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson ahead of Republican Luke Searle 43%-34% in House District 59. Another 14% of respondents were undecided, and 10% said they would vote for someone else, though Johnson and Searle are the only names on the ballot. Democratic polling firm FM3 surveyed 322 likely voters Aug. 20-26. The margin o

Rep. Celeste Maloy is defending her seat tonight against Democratic challenger Kent Udell in the 3rd Congressional District debate, and Utah Political Watch will be watching live. Host Bryan Schott provides live commentary, separating spin from substance and adding context you won't get anywhere else. Tune in early for the pre-debate show, where we'll preview the issues most likely to come up and what each candidate needs to accomplish on stage. Then settle in for the main event. When: Friday

Senate President Stuart Adams outspent Stephanie Hollist by more than 2 to 1 but still lost.

Davis County Republicans on Saturday voted down a resolution to censure Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson for refusing to give the Trump administration Utah's full, unredacted voter rolls. The failure suggests that criticism of Henderson from some Utah Republicans is not widely shared in the party. The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation last year into whether Utah complies with voter list maintenance requirements under the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act. I