Campaign Utah Republican announces he won’t seek reelection by Tara Suter - 03/04/26 8:00 PM ET by Tara Suter - 03/04/26 8:00 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) said Wednesday that he will not run for reelection, joining a notable mass of House Republicans not running for Congress again this year. “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 said in a lengthy post on the social platform X . “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,” the Utah representative added. Owens, who has served in the House since 2021, is one of more than 30 Republicans in the House and Senate not running for reelection in this year’s midterms . Republicans have been dealing with rocky political territory that includes President Trump’s recent unpopularity in polling, files linked to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, concerns about affordability and backlash to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. In a polling average from Decision Desk HQ, Democrats are leading Republicans on a generic congressional ballot at 44.6 percent support to the Republicans’ 38.7 percent . “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,” Owens said in his post on X. “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,” he added. Add as preferred source on Google Tags 2026 midterms Burgess Owens Donald Trump House Republicans Jeffrey Epstein Utah Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Campaign News See All Campaign Greene fumes over Trump’s demand in Texas Senate runoff by Tara Suter 57 minutes ago Campaign  /  57 minutes ago