On this week's episode of Special Session, we break down the latest shifts in our 2026 race ratings, a shakeup in Senate District 11, a troubling USPS whistleblower report, and new reporting on Gov. Spencer Cox's upcoming book.
- House and Senate ratings updated. New campaign finance filings moved five House races. HD26 and HD30 both look more competitive than their voting history alone suggests once you factor in the Utah Competitiveness Index, and Senate District 5 could be one of the closest races on the ballot.
- SD11 becomes a one-on-one race. Democrat Mackenzie Miller dropped out on the final day possible, clearing a head-to-head contest between Forward Party incumbent Emily Buss and Republican Brooks Benson. A Buss win would make her the first third-party candidate elected to the Utah Legislature since 1916.
- USPS whistleblower report raises alarms. A new report alleges USPS kept building a mail-ballot verification system for Trump's election order despite court orders to stop, and that a single mismatched name in a batch can void every ballot in it. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson is pushing back publicly.
- Spencer Cox's book, Off-Ramp, drops next week. New reporting reveals Cox privately pitched President Biden on pardoning Donald Trump after Jan. 6 to "lower the temperature."
- Two more picks for the Utah Supreme Court. Judge Matthew Bell and attorney Mike Menssen are nominated to fill two vacancies, which would give Gov. Cox six of the court's seven seats pending Senate confirmation.
🎥 Watch or listen to the full episode at this link.
