⏰ Tick Tock
Days until the court-mandated deadline for lawmakers to submit new congressional maps (9/25/2025) - 20
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 60
Days to the start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026) - 137
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 424
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,159
Gargantuan GOP advantage in Utah shrinks to merely massive
In Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, Democrats achieved something in 2024 that is both remarkable—and remarkably futile.
The district stands as the sole Democratic bright spot among America's 25 biggest partisan electoral shifts between 2022 and 2024, according to a new Inside Elections analysis published in The Hill. 24 of the 25 seats shifted toward Republicans; Utah’s 3rd District was the only one to move toward Democrats.
But don't get too excited thinking Democrats might be on the verge of a stunning electoral breakthrough. This "Democratic surge" merely trimmed the Republican advantage from R+35.5 to R+30.6 - still leaving the GOP with a commanding 31-point advantage in typical races.
The analysis combines results from the past four state and federal elections to show what vote share a "typical" Republican or Democratic candidate would capture. In this case, a typical Republican should win by nearly 31 percentage points.
The shift tracks with Rep. Mike Kennedy’s narrower 2024 victory margin compared to the three previous elections for his predecessor, now Senator John Curtis.
This modest Democratic gain may prove ephemeral. With new congressional maps likely before the 2026 election, the current formidable Republican advantage could be redrawn entirely.
Friday morning's headlines
Utah and the West
Utah's congressional maps due by Sept. 25, lawyers in redistricting case agree on new timeline. [ABC 4]
Why Cox says trust in government is falling. [KSL]
Sen. Mike Lee sponsors bill to roll back Washington's 2022 police reforms. [KSL]
More Utahns have had abortions since the Dobbs decision, but the state is sharing drastically less about why. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Utahns love to call their members of Congress–now they may dial state lawmakers more often. [Utah News Dispatch]
COVID vaccines harder to get in Utah this year, officials say. [Fox 13]
North Salt Lake doesn't rule out legal challenge over new homeless campus. [KUTV]
Utah violinist detained by ICE released from custody. [Fox 13]
Utah's higher education board adds new members amid disruptive period for state's public colleges. [Deseret News]
Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind mismanaged money, kept "unreliable" student data, audit finds. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Nation
Trump moves to rename Defense Department as Department of War. [Bloomberg]
Hopes are fading among Republicans in Congress of pushing through a second megabill this year. [Politico]
A federal appeals court halted a lower court ruling that required Florida and the Trump administration to dismantle an immigration site in the Everglades. [CBS News]
World
Venezuelan fighter jets flew over U.S. Navy ship in "show of force." [CBS News]
Economy
The U.S. added just 22,000 jobs in August while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%. [ABC News]