Special Session Recap: Legislature moves congressional filing deadline to buy time for redistricting appeal; changes court rules so election lawsuits go directly to Utah Supreme Court.

Union Busting Bill Repeal: Strategic retreat—lawmakers feared giving voters an incentive to show up at the polls in 2026 when they have two ballot measures they want passed.

The Phil Lyman Provision: New rule allowing weekly signature packet submissions—designed to undercut conspiracy theories about Governor Cox's 2024 primary win.

Taxpayer-Funded Retreat: House Republicans spent $26,584 at Zermatt Resort; $10,000+ on catering alone for 51 lawmakers and staff.

U of U Athletics Deal: Private equity move to stay competitive in evolving college sports landscape.

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Former Democratic Congressman Ben McAdams joins Special Session to discuss his return to politics with a run for Congress in Utah's newly drawn 1st Congressional District. The former congressman opens up about what motivated him to get back in the arena, how he plans to build a winning coalition in a district that's Democratic-leaning but not majority-Democratic, and his response to critics still upset about his role in the 2022 McMullin-Lee Senate race.

State Sen. Nate Blouin (D-Salt Lake City) joins the show to discuss his bid for Congress in Utah's new 1st Congressional District created by Judge Diana Gibson's ruling last month. 

WHY HE'S RUNNING 
Blouin positions himself as a fighter with a track record of pushing back against the supermajority. He says the new D+14 district aligns with his progressive values and sees an opportunity to be part of a potential Democratic House majority in 2026. "People want fighters right now. People are frustrated with what they're seeing out of DC."

WHAT A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY COULD DO
Even with a Republican Senate and Trump in the White House, Blouin says Democrats could hold the line through oversight — including personally investigating the ICE facility in West Valley City. He points to Trump's approval rating (around 35%) and says the priority would be slowing authoritarian overreach while pushing popular policies like Medicare for All and a higher minimum wage.

THE YOUTH MOVEMENT 
Blouin sees energy in Utah's young Democratic bench and invokes Zohran Mamdani's campaign style as a model — high-energy, ground-focused, authentic. He won his state Senate primary by 50 points in 2022 through door-knocking and plans to bring that same approach to a compact congressional district.

PATHWAY TO THE NOMINATION
"We're gonna win convention and we're gonna gather signatures. That's the plan."

Blouin's website: nateforutah.com

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In this episode, Bryan Schott breaks down the latest developments in Utah's congressional redistricting battle, the GOP's million-dollar signature gathering effort, and what's shaping up to be a crowded Democratic primary in the new CD1. Plus, an update on the federal lawsuit over press credentials at the Utah State Legislature.

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Utah's political landscape was transformed overnight when Judge Dianna Gibson implemented a new congressional map that could dramatically change the state's representation in Washington. Host Bryan Schott breaks down the ruling, analyzes the political fallout, and explores what comes next.

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On this episode, we unpack Ben McAdams' likely run for Congress, the GOP’s referendum retreat on redistricting, and why two new “competitive” districts might actually be R+2 and R+6 by design. Plus: a wild lawsuit to overturn SB54 and oust elected officials from office, a trio of eyebrow-raising Utah County GOP resolutions, and could Sen. Mike Lee be eyeing the top spot at the Heritage Foundation?

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In this replay of our subscriber-only livestream from 11/03/2025, we walk through the Lyman-aligned federal lawsuit to overturn Utah election results by attacking SB 54’s signature-gathering path, Mike Lee’s latest outrage cycle over a non-story, fraud and domestic-incident allegations surrounding former Iron County GOP chair Blake Cozzens, the latest from Utah's redistricting lawsuit and the 2026 chessboard with Democrat Ben McAdams edging toward another run for Congress.

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This week in Utah politics: dark money, taxpayer funded PR campaign and a massive homeless campus.

• Mega “service campus” for the homeless near SLC airport: 16 acres, up to 1,300 beds, involuntary commitments, forced treatment. Civil liberties alarms vs. “we have to do something.” Cox does damage control via a friendly outlet, swatting Nazi comparisons.

• House PR machine on your dime: Speaker Schultz’s glossy videos produced by a paid outside firm (Northbound Strategy ~$6k/month, >$215k since ’23). Posted first to his personal accounts, then amplified by official channels. ROI? Shrug. Also: his video flirting with threats against the judge.

• Dark money creeps local: National Liberty Champions PAC drops into an Alpine school board race. The Mike Lee orbit—Thomas Datwyler (treasurer), Dan Hauser (L4 Consulting, lives in-district)—connects the dots. Same network fueled attacks in UT-2 primary via Constitutional Conservatives PAC.

• Ogden City Council shenanigans: Candidate takes ~$15k from “Taxpayers PAC,” blowing past $1,500 limits. Money trace: AZ Christian nationalist pastor/funder → PAC → candidate → consultant. The consultant? He set up the PAC routing the cash back to himself. Illegal overage likely returned.

• Conspiracy-to-policy pipeline: Gold-as-currency schemes pushed by fringe “experts,” and yes—another chemtrails bill incoming.

Heads up: Election Day is Tuesday. If your ballot’s still on the counter, fix that.

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Run for Something's Amanda Litman explains why Democrats must invest in red states now—or face permanent minority status after 2030 redistricting.

She argues that redistricting in 2030 is going to gut the already-narrow path to power for Democrats. California and New York will lose seats in Congress, while red states are gaining representation. Utah's fast-growing population means the state is in line to gain a fifth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2031 redistricting cycle.

Her organization is launching a five-year plan to build Democratic infrastructure in Republican strongholds like Utah, where the party's net favorability sits at a dismal negative 38 percent.

Litman says Democrats need to stop obsessing over swing states and start investing in places the party has written off for years.

Run for Something: RunForSomething.net

Find Amanda on social media: @AmandaLitman or @Amandalitm

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Utah Republican Party announced a dual strategy to combat court-ordered redistricting and repeal Prop 4.

Referendum on Option C Map (00:04:33)

• GOP launching statewide referendum to overturn legislature's newly passed congressional map
• Needs 134,000 signatures by November 15th
• Must hit signature targets in 15 of 29 Senate districts

Initiative to Repeal Prop 4 (00:09:05)

• Only needs 70,000 signatures to submit directly to legislature
• Would repeal 2018 voter-approved independent redistricting commission
• Gives lawmakers political cover since it comes from "the people"
• Legislature likely to pass with veto-proof majority

Timeline Crunch (00:30:47)

• Court must pick new map by November 10th
• Hearings scheduled October 23-24
• Additional hearing November 3rd on legislature's new redistricting law (SB 101)
• Multiple opportunities for delays through appeals

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