Utah News Dispatch
A 3rd Utah Democrat jumps into the race for newly drawn U.S. House seat
Former state Sen. Derek Kitchen is pictured at the Utah Capitol in this undated photo. (Utah Senate Democrats)
Former state Sen. Derek Kitchen said Thursday he’s joining the race to represent a newly drawn congressional district that is Utah’s first to lean Democratic in more than 20 years.
Kitchen’s announcement follows two other Democrats — state lawmaker Katheen Riebe and former congressman Ben McAdams — in announcing a bid for the U.S. House seat ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Now, Utah has a newly drawn district — a strong, solidly Democratic district — and for the first time in a generation, we have the chance to elect a progressive leader who reflects the values of the people who live here and who has what it takes to fight back against Donald Trump and the MAGA Republican agenda,” Kitchen said in his announcement.
Utah Democrats likely to win congressional seat in 2026 if judge’s map order stands
“I’ve always fought for the issues that matter, even when it’s tough,” Kitchen continued. “I’m ready to carry that fight all the way to Congress.”
He is known in Utah for being one of the plaintiffs who sued the state in 2013, successfully overturning Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage. Kitchen went on to serve on the Salt Lake City Council and won election to the state Senate in 2018, where he served one term before losing in the Democratic primary to now-Sen. Jen Plumb.
As Democrats work to recapture a majority in the U.S. House, they see the new district in Utah as an opportunity to help accomplish that goal.
“Every seat counts,” Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement earlier this month.
Utah’s new map comes after a yearslong court battle that reached the Utah Supreme Court before landing back before a judge in Salt Lake City. A coalition of voting rights groups and voters sued after the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature in 2021 chose its own congressional map, instead of adopting new boundaries created by an independent, voter-approved commission.
The state’s Republican legislative leaders have said they intend to appeal and keep fighting for their preferred maps.
While in the Utah Legislature, Kitchen noted he was in a minority of openly LGBTQ+ lawmakers nationwide and learned how to work with colleagues across the political aisle.
In 2023, he was appointed by President Joe Biden’s administration as senior vice president at the federal Export-Import Bank, which aims to support U.S. jobs by encouraging the export of American goods and services.
He’s also a restaurant owner who said running a small business taught him valuable lessons in serving people and building community.
