The Winner
If you live in Utah's 3rd U.S. House District, you will now be represented in Congress by Celeste Maloy (R-UT), who has been declared the winner of the 2026 congressional race, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 10:03 p.m. on Nov. 3. The general election drew nine candidates; vote counts are still being tallied and the state has not yet certified results, so all figures are preliminary. The seat stays in Republican hands, previously held by Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT), who did not seek reelection in 2026.
The Race
Kent Udell won the Democratic primary on June 23, 2026, as the only Democrat on the primary ballot. Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Republican heading into Election Day; Inside Elections also rated it Solid Republican and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia.
The district spans Beaver, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Morgan, Piute, San Juan, Summit, Uintah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Utah and Weber counties, according to Utah.gov. The district has a total population of about 821,200, a median household income of about $94,700, and a median age of about 31, according to Geographies data for the district; about 44.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the population is about 80.6 percent white, 12.7 percent Hispanic, 2.3 percent Asian and 0.9 percent Black, with an unemployment rate of about 3.8 percent and about 9.7 percent of residents living below the poverty line.
What's Next
Maloy is set to take office on Jan. 3, 2027, at noon. Maloy said she is working with colleagues on changing federal incentives to help Colorado River basin states reach an agreement while keeping Congress from taking over the negotiations, according to Utah Public Radio (KOAL News), which reported her comments on Nov. 2, 2026.
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