Party conventions set stage for 2026 midterms

KANE COUNTY, Utah —Utah’s election landscape has settled somewhat fol­lowing the legal battle over election district maps in late 2025 and early 2026. Federal candidate filing deadlines were extended during the lawsuit, but the field is now largely set as of March. The new map remains a point of debate, with expectations it could help create a Democratic congressional seat in a state long dominated by Republicans.

With party conventions approaching in mid-April, delegates will help deter­mine which candidates ad­vance to the June primary ballot. Candidates who gather enough signatures will also appear in the pri­mary regardless of conven­tion results.

Locally, Kane County vot­ers will see several signifi­cant races this year. County Clerk/Auditor Chameill Lamb is in a contested race against Martin Hepworth. Sheriff Tracy Glover and County Attorney Jeff Stott are both running unop­posed, while Marc Grow and Jarad Brinkerhoff are unopposed in their respec­tive school board races.

On the Kane County Com­mission, Patty Kubeja, the current holder of Seat A, is running in a three-way race against Cary Reese and Matthew Fisher. For Seat B, current commissioner Celeste Meyeres faces Matthew Cox, Kelly Lamb and Bo Folsom. Candidate filings and election details are available through the Kane County elections of­fice at kane.utah.gov.

At the state level, House District 69, currently held by Rep. Logan Monson, will be contested at the Republi­can convention by Monson and Daniel Gardner. Both are expected to qualify for the primary ballot. Demo­cratic candidates Tara Benally and Tracie Yellow­man Tso are also expected to appear in the primary.

Nationally, the race for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District seat, held by Rep. Celeste Maloy, includes four Republican candidates, all expected to qualify for the primary. Democrats Steve Merrill and Kent Udell are also expected on the ballot, along with Constitution Party candidate Cassie Easley and Libertarian Michael Stoddard.

With redistricting chang­es and an increase in intra­party challengers, political leaders are encouraging voters to engage with del­egates and participate in both the June primary and November general election.