{"id":2575,"date":"2026-06-23T19:35:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T19:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575"},"modified":"2026-06-23T19:35:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T19:35:58","slug":"utah-primary-election-2026-state-legislative-races-to-watch-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575","title":{"rendered":"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams faces a battle to hold his seat in his reelection campaign in Utah\u2019s 7th Senate District against Fruit Heights attorney Stephanie Hollist and Braden Hess, an attorney and realtor from Kaysville. <\/p>\n

Read more Savannah Guthrie renews plea for information on \u2018Today\u2019 show<\/a><\/p>\n

Adams has received criticism for supporting the construction of a data center, known as the Stratos Project, in Box Elder County. <\/p>\n

More than half of Utahns oppose the project. Critics of the project say it will use unnecessary quantities of power and abuse limited water resources. <\/p>\n

Adams said the center will help Utah\u2019s energy infrastructure and provide energy to residents. He also called for a 75% reduction in the project\u2019s proposed size and for environmental conservation and protection measures to be put in place. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

I\u2019ve sent a letter directly to @kevinolearytv calling for a 75% reduction in the proposed data center project area, from 40,000 acres to approximately 10,000 acres.<\/p>\n

I am also requiring that any excess water be treated and dedicated to the Great Salt Lake, even though none of the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/tWwpN6FBrM<\/p>\n

\u2014 President J. Stuart Adams (@JStuartAdams) June 1, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A national super PAC, Make Liberty Win, has spent more than $100,000 opposing Adams, using the money for mailers, texts online ads and more. <\/p>\n

Adams has served as Senate president since 2019 and is the longest-serving Senate president in Utah\u2019s recent history. Neither of his primary opponents have previously held office. <\/p>\n

Taylor Morgan, partner at Morgan May Public Affairs, a public affairs and political consulting firm, said the race is \u201cuncomfortably close right now for Stuart Adams,\u201d but Morgan predicts Adams will win by a small margin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019ll be very very close, but his advantage is that he has Braden Hess and Stephanie Hollist splitting the anti-Stuart-Adams vote there,\u201d Morgan told the Deseret News. <\/p>\n

Morgan added that \u201cthe rest of the legislature is watching what\u2019s happening in President Adams\u2019 race right now as a clear lesson that they need to do a better job in the future of communicating with their own constituents.\u201d <\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s election will be the first time in several years that Adams has faced serious competition. In 2022, he was unopposed in the Republican primary and faced a 3rd party candidate in the general election. <\/p>\n

The race in Utah Senate District 18 is \u2018really is going to come down to turnout\u2019<\/h3>\n

Incumbent Sen. Dan McCay faces Rep. Doug Fiefia in Utah Senate District 18, which includes parts of Salt Lake and Utah counties. <\/p>\n

McCay has served in the Utah Legislature since 2012 and cites his seniority as a reason for voters to cast their ballots in his favor. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that a track record like mine is one that shows being conservative and working for Utah families is something that Utah voters still want to elect,\u201d McCay told KSL.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

I’m the only candidate in this race with a proven record of delivering tax relief and getting things done for you.<\/p>\n

Everywhere I go, people talk about how life keeps getting more expensive. I was raised by a hard-working single mom and now I have a family of my own. Protecting\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zf6XxYuXbg<\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel McCay (@danmccay) May 29, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On social media, Fiefia pointed to his personal life rather than his legislative record in his pitch to voters. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am not a career politician. I\u2019m a husband, a dad, a business owner, and someone who cares deeply about where we live and the future we\u2019re leaving our kids,\u201d Fiefia said in a post on social media. \u201cI got into this because I was tired of watching the same people make the same promises while regular people kept paying the price.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Workers reinstall Salt Lake Temple\u2019s legendary east doors as renovation reaches homestretch<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not running to become a politician. I\u2019m running to make a difference, and maybe that\u2019s exactly what we need more of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both candidates are currently serving in the Legislature and have emphasized different issues. McCay has sponsored many bills to cut taxes, restrict abortion and ban pride flags in schools. Fiefia has pushed more for tech safety for kids, particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n

\u201cDan McCay has been representing that area for a very, very long time. Everybody knows him [and] he is generally well-liked,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cBut that being said, Dough Fiefia is one of the smartest, hardest working campaigners out there.\u201d <\/p>\n

Morgan said Fiefia\u2019s supporters may be more likely to vote, and \u201cin a midterm primary election cycle, it really is going to come down to turnout.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCay faced criticism from his opponent for putting out an ad saying he received an endorsement from U.S. Senator John Curtis, which he did not get. A spokesperson for McCay\u2019s campaign said the ad was never approved by McCay and that McCay apologized to Curtis after it was posted. Curtis\u2019 chief of staff said Curtis is not endorsing either candidate. <\/p>\n

The winner of Tuesday\u2019s primary election will face Democratic candidate A. Dane Anderson in November\u2019s general election. <\/p>\n

Three Democrats vie for Blouin\u2019s open seat in District 13<\/h3>\n

In District 13, three Democrats are running for a seat left open by state Senator Nate Blouin, after he decided to run for Congress in Utah\u2019s 1st District. <\/p>\n

Evan Done, a progressive, won the Democratic nomination at the state convention in April with 60% of the vote. Done leads his opponents in endorsements. <\/p>\n

Millcreek City Council member Silvia Catten received 40% of the vote at the Democratic convention and qualified for the primary by gathering signatures. Catten is the only candidate who has held elected office.<\/p>\n

Taylor Paden, a union organizer and socialist, also qualified for the primary through signature gathering. Paden received no votes at the convention and has fewer endorsements than his competitors. <\/p>\n

The winner of Tuesday\u2019s Democratic primary will face Republican Ryan L. Mahoney and Colin Smith from the Utah Forward Party in November\u2019s general election. District 13 includes portions of South Salt Lake, Murray and Taylorsville in Salt Lake County. <\/p>\n

\n
Related<\/div>\n
Will Republicans decide Utah\u2019s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Utah\u2019s primary: By the numbers<\/h3>\n

Nearly half of Utah\u2019s 29 state Senate seats are up for election in 2026 in addition to all 75 state House seats. Both chambers are overwhelmingly Republican. <\/p>\n

The Democratic primary is open to all registered Utah voters, regardless of their party affiliation, but voters must request a ballot if they are not registered Democrats. The Republican primary is only open to registered Republicans. Voters can only vote in one primary. <\/p>\n

Of the 2.1 million registered voters in Utah, counted as of June 16, 1 million are registered as Republicans, 297,000 are Democrats, and 622,000 are not affiliated with either party. <\/p>\n

In 2024, voting results for the state primary election were first reported by AP three minutes after polls closed, but the tally didn\u2019t surpass 90% until two days after Election Day on June 27. <\/p>\n

Read more Does the Vesper Amphitheater follow Provo\u2019s hillsides and canyons preservation guidelines?<\/a><\/p>\n

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some candidates face \u2018uncomfortably close\u2019 races while others are waltzing to November’s general election unopposed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-utah"],"yoast_head":"\nUtah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some candidates face \u2018uncomfortably close\u2019 races while others are waltzing to November's general election unopposed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T19:35:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"headline\":\"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T19:35:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575\"},\"wordCount\":1186,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Utah\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575\",\"name\":\"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for - American Movers Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T19:35:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif\",\"width\":630,\"height\":331},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2575#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Movers Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for - American Movers Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for - American Movers Hub","og_description":"Some candidates face \u2018uncomfortably close\u2019 races while others are waltzing to November's general election unopposed","og_url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575","og_site_name":"American Movers Hub","article_published_time":"2026-06-23T19:35:58+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af"},"headline":"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for","datePublished":"2026-06-23T19:35:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575"},"wordCount":1186,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif","articleSection":["Utah"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575","name":"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for - American Movers Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif","datePublished":"2026-06-23T19:35:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a5862ffd65c1b71e246e9b3403417de5.avif","width":630,"height":331},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2575#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Utah primary election 2026: State legislative races to watch for"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/","name":"American Movers Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanmovershub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}