Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) announced on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.
“After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, DC, and then step away from elected office,” Owens wrote.
“I began this political journey over six years ago with a simple question: Can I do more to advocate for our at-risk children? That question led me into public service, with a focused passion on education where the cancer of hopelessness and training for ‘social advocacy’ has taken hold in too many of our public schools,” he continued.
🚨Just in: Utah Republican Congressman Burgess Owens won’t run for reelection in 2026 pic.twitter.com/oKmB1bd9qf
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 4, 2026
Owens steps down as Utah redraws its congressional districts ahead of the midterm elections.
POLITICO explained:
Owens’ retirement helps Utah Republicans avoid a possible member-on-member primary after a Utah judge implemented a new congressional map that created a new Democratic-leaning seat and drew Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) into the same district. Utah’s 4th congressional district, which Owens represents, will remain a strongly Republican seat under the new map.
Owens’ decision to serve out the remainder of his term helps House Republican leadership preserve their narrow majority for the remainder of the cycle. Republicans’ four-seat House majority means they can only afford to lose one Republican on a party-line vote.
In addition to Owens leaving Congress, Reps. John James (R-Mich.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) are running for governor, and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Tex.) launched a failed bid for Texas’ Senate seat, meaning there will likely be no Black members of the House Republican conference next year.
Owens is the latest in a wave of House Republicans looking to leave the lower chamber this cycle. Since the beginning of 2025, 35 other House Republicans have resigned, announced their retirements or launched campaigns seeking other elected positions.
“I came to Congress with a simple ask from my constituents: to represent Utah’s nation-leading culture of faith, family, the free market, and education. I have been proud to fight alongside President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership exposed the insidious spread of Marxism in our country and who has demonstrated that only a proud, focused, and unapologetic America can defeat it,” Owens said.
“His commitment to working families and his willingness to confront corruption head-on reaffirm that courage still matters in public life,” he added.
Roll Call shared further:
A former NFL star, Owens has been a backbencher in Congress since he was elected to the House in November 2020, beating former Rep. Ben McAdams, a Democrat, by 47 percent to 46 percent.
Owens, 74, is a vocal backer and supporter of President Donald Trump, and has focused on promoting conservative culture war issues embraced by his party’s right flank.
From his perch on the Education and the Workforce Committee, and as chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, Owens has taken aim at higher education diversity initiatives — like the DEI movement — and changes to college sports policies.
“It has been an honor to witness our House leadership unite our body with the Senate and President to deliver some of the most consequential legislation of our time,” Owens said. “History will record that the 2024 trifecta gave our nation a second chance to continue our 250-year journey toward our Founders’ vision of a more perfect Union.”
