As first reported by Utah Political Watch last week, Utah state Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, is jumping into the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary, taking aim at Rep. Blake Moore over his role in Utah’s anti‑gerrymandering fight.
She announced her bid on social media Tuesday.
Today I announced I’m running for Congress in Utah's 2nd District. Northern Utah deserves a representative who fights for our conservative values.
— Karianne Lisonbee (@KariLisonbee) March 10, 2026
Join me.https://t.co/3I4iW3znzz
As expected, Lisonbee is attacking Moore for his work with Better Boundaries on Prop. 4, the 2018 ballot initiative that created an independent redistricting commission in Utah. A judge ruled last August that the GOP‑controlled legislature unconstitutionally repealed Prop. 4. That ruling also tossed out the congressional map and put a new one in place that creates a Democratic-leaning district in Salt Lake County.
“By siding with the radical left, Blake Moore not only put a Republican majority at risk but the entire Trump agenda,” she told the New York Post.
“He (Moore) worked with the Democrat establishment to take power away from the people’s elected representatives and put it in the hands of activist judges.”
Moore, a member of House GOP leadership, starts with a towering cash advantage. His latest filings show $2.2 million cash on hand in his campaign account; his Expect More leadership PAC holds just over $17,000, and his Team Moore joint fundraising committee has about $22,000 available.
As of Tuesday morning, Lisonbee has not yet filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
This is the fourth straight cycle Moore has drawn a Republican challenger; he’s been forced into a primary every time he’s been on the ballot.
