As the candiadate filing deadline for the 2026 elections closes, some elected officials gear up to face challengers while others decide not to seek reelection. The major issues of the 2026 Utah legislative session emerge including water usage for AI data centers, homelessness, and childhood literacy.

THE DEEPER DIVE:
• ✍️ Utah elected officials decide whether to face challengers in their reelection campaigns or to drop out of the race.
• ️ Legislators gear up for the 2026 Legislative Session, which begins on January 20th and runs through March 6th.
• Major issues come to the forefront as legislators begin to file bills including water usage by AI data centers, homelessness, and how to fix poor childhood literacy rates among Utah's elementary school students.

️ FEATURING:
• Sean Higgins – Politics Reporter, KUER
• McKenzie Romero – Editor, Utah News Dispatch
• Marty Carpenter – Partner, Northbound Strategies

LINKS:
The Future Is Watching: Understanding Utah's Early Literacy Landscape. Report on childhood literacy in Utah by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute: https://d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/EarlyLiteracy-Jan2026-Final.pdf

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