Utah Gov. Cox says ignoring voters on redistricting cost GOP its legislative supermajority

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said Monday that his party's heavy losses in the state Legislature were not only about the national mood. He said they also came from lawmakers ignoring voters, starting with the long fight over how Utah draws its election maps ¹².

More than a dozen Republican incumbents lost on Nov. 3, and Democrats also won open seats the GOP had held ¹. As of Monday morning, about 16 Republican seats in the state House were expected to go to 14 Democrats and two unaffiliated candidates ². That ends the GOP's two-thirds supermajority in the House for the first time in more than 30 years, though Republicans keep one in the state Senate ².

On tapeABC4 Utah · Nov 10

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Definitely, the national political environment played an enormous role in the outcomes here in Utah

Cox spoke at his monthly news conference, which PBS Utah broadcast ². He called the result a "repudiation election" and said President Trump "certainly shares some blame" ².

The map voters tried to fix

In 2018, Utah voters passed Proposition 4, a ballot initiative that created an independent redistricting commission and banned partisan gerrymandering, which means drawing district lines to help one party ¹². In 2020, the Legislature passed a law known as SB 200 that turned the commission into an advisory panel only ⁷.

From Channel GOPBen McAdams claims victory in Utah's 1st DistrictBen McAdams · 145 plays · captioned, with the source named

On Nov. 10, 2021, lawmakers passed their own congressional map, and Cox signed it two days later ⁷. That map split heavily Democratic Salt Lake County and created four solidly Republican districts ¹.

The League of Women Voters of Utah and others sued in March 2022 ⁷. In July 2024, the Utah Supreme Court said the Legislature could not simply rewrite a citizen initiative, and it sent the case back to a lower court ⁷. In August 2025, a trial court restored Proposition 4 and struck down the map ⁷.

On tapeKSL News Utah · Nov 10

▶1:32

In November 2025, Third District Judge Dianna Gibson rejected a new map from Republican lawmakers, writing that it "unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats," and adopted a map drawn by the plaintiffs instead ⁶. State Rep. Matt MacPherson, a Republican, called her ruling a "gross abuse of power" and opened a bill to pursue her impeachment ⁶. A Republican effort to repeal Proposition 4 by ballot measure failed to gather enough signatures in April 2026 ⁷.

Cox's own receipt

On Monday, Cox said he had warned lawmakers in a friend-of-the-court brief, filed in the redistricting case, that they change initiatives "at their own peril" ²⁴. He also acknowledged that he signed the 2021 map rather than veto it ²⁷.

I take some of the blame for this

He said people had told him he should have vetoed the maps or pushed back harder, and that he has always believed "the way to push back is at the ballot box" ². He added that lawmakers have the constitutional power to draw maps, but that "just because you can doesn't mean you should" ¹.

That matters because Cox had a direct chance to stop the map in 2021, and it took more than three years of lawsuits to undo what his signature allowed. Utah voters ended up enforcing their 2018 vote through the courts and then at the polls.

What the fair map produced

The court-chosen map kept most of Salt Lake County in a single district, the new 1st District ⁵. Democrat Ben McAdams, a former Salt Lake County mayor, won it with 72% of the vote to Republican Riley Owen's 25% in unofficial election-night results ⁵. Republicans are expected to keep the state's other three U.S. House seats ⁵.

the people of Salt Lake County picked their own representative.

A broader pattern of overriding voters

Cox pointed to other cases too. In 2025, the Legislature passed a law limiting bargaining rights for public employees. Labor groups gathered more than 250,000 signatures for a referendum to overturn it, and lawmakers repealed the law themselves before it could reach the ballot ¹. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, lost his seat ¹.

Voters also rejected Constitutional Amendment B, a measure the Legislature backed. It would have required 60% approval for citizen initiatives that raise taxes ¹⁴. Cox said it "probably had an impact" on the results ¹.

The incoming Republican Senate president, Evan Vickers of Cedar City, also acknowledged the problem ¹.

The public has lost some trust; I think we have to be real about that. We have to be humble about that and recognize that

What changes in January

Overriding a governor's veto in Utah takes a two-thirds vote in both chambers ⁴. Without a House supermajority, Republicans will now need help from Democrats or other non-Republicans to override Cox ⁴. The Legislature convenes Jan. 19 ⁴.

Cox would not promise to veto more bills. He said a majority that cannot override vetoes on its own works as "more of a brake than a gas pedal" ². The underlying redistricting lawsuit is still pending ¹⁷.

The pattern is worth watching beyond Utah. Lawmakers in several states have narrowed or overridden laws that voters passed themselves. In Utah, a Republican governor now says that cost his party seats.

The Record

1. Nov 12, 2021Gov. Cox signs the Legislature's congressional map, passed two days earlier after lawmakers made Proposition 4's commission advisory only ⁷.
2. Mar 17, 2022The League of Women Voters of Utah and others sue to strike the map and restore the commission's authority ⁷.
3. Aug 25, 2025A Utah trial court voids SB 200, restores Proposition 4 and strikes the congressional map ⁷.
4. Nov 10, 2025The trial court blocks the Legislature's new map and picks a plaintiffs' map for 2026 ⁶⁷.
5. Nov 9, 2026Cox says ignoring voters on redistricting helped cost the GOP its House supermajority, and says he takes some of the blame ¹².

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<h2>Utah Gov. Cox says ignoring voters on redistricting cost GOP its legislative supermajority</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/utah-gov-cox-says-ignoring-voters-on-redistricting-cost-gop-its-legislative-supermajority">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said Monday that his party&#39;s heavy losses in the state Legislature were not only about the national mood. He said they also came from lawmakers ignoring voters, starting with the long fight over how Utah draws its election maps .</p> <p>More than a dozen Republican incumbents lost on Nov. 3, and Democrats also won open seats the GOP had held . As of Monday morning, about 16 Republican seats in the state House were expected to go to 14 Democrats and two unaffiliated candidates . That ends the GOP&#39;s two-thirds supermajority in the House for the first time in more than 30 years, though Republicans keep one in the state Senate .</p> <blockquote><p>Definitely, the national political environment played an enormous role in the outcomes here in Utah</p><p>&mdash; Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah, R-Utah</p></blockquote> <p>Cox spoke at his monthly news conference, which PBS Utah broadcast . He called the result a &quot;repudiation election&quot; and said President Trump &quot;certainly shares some blame&quot; .</p> <h2>The map voters tried to fix</h2> <p>In 2018, Utah voters passed Proposition 4, a ballot initiative that created an independent redistricting commission and banned partisan gerrymandering, which means drawing district lines to help one party . In 2020, the Legislature passed a law known as SB 200 that turned the commission into an advisory panel only .</p> <p>On Nov. 10, 2021, lawmakers passed their own congressional map, and Cox signed it two days later . That map split heavily Democratic Salt Lake County and created four solidly Republican districts .</p> <p>The League of Women Voters of Utah and others sued in March 2022 . In July 2024, the Utah Supreme Court said the Legislature could not simply rewrite a citizen initiative, and it sent the case back to a lower court . In August 2025, a trial court restored Proposition 4 and struck down the map .</p> <p>In November 2025, Third District Judge Dianna Gibson rejected a new map from Republican lawmakers, writing that it &quot;unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats,&quot; and adopted a map drawn by the plaintiffs instead . State Rep. Matt MacPherson, a Republican, called her ruling a &quot;gross abuse of power&quot; and opened a bill to pursue her impeachment . A Republican effort to repeal Proposition 4 by ballot measure failed to gather enough signatures in April 2026 .</p> <h2>Cox&#39;s own receipt</h2> <p>On Monday, Cox said he had warned lawmakers in a friend-of-the-court brief, filed in the redistricting case, that they change initiatives &quot;at their own peril&quot; . He also acknowledged that he signed the 2021 map rather than veto it .</p> <blockquote><p>I take some of the blame for this</p><p>&mdash; Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah, R-Utah</p></blockquote> <p>He said people had told him he should have vetoed the maps or pushed back harder, and that he has always believed &quot;the way to push back is at the ballot box&quot; . He added that lawmakers have the constitutional power to draw maps, but that &quot;just because you can doesn&#39;t mean you should&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because Cox had a direct chance to stop the map in 2021, and it took more than three years of lawsuits to undo what his signature allowed. Utah voters ended up enforcing their 2018 vote through the courts and then at the polls.</p> <h2>What the fair map produced</h2> <p>The court-chosen map kept most of Salt Lake County in a single district, the new 1st District . Democrat Ben McAdams, a former Salt Lake County mayor, won it with 72% of the vote to Republican Riley Owen&#39;s 25% in unofficial election-night results . Republicans are expected to keep the state&#39;s other three U.S. House seats .</p> <blockquote><p>the people of Salt Lake County picked their own representative.</p><p>&mdash; Ben McAdams, U.S. Representative-elect, D-Utah</p></blockquote> <h2>A broader pattern of overriding voters</h2> <p>Cox pointed to other cases too. In 2025, the Legislature passed a law limiting bargaining rights for public employees. Labor groups gathered more than 250,000 signatures for a referendum to overturn it, and lawmakers repealed the law themselves before it could reach the ballot . The bill&#39;s sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, lost his seat .</p> <p>Voters also rejected Constitutional Amendment B, a measure the Legislature backed. It would have required 60% approval for citizen initiatives that raise taxes . Cox said it &quot;probably had an impact&quot; on the results .</p> <p>The incoming Republican Senate president, Evan Vickers of Cedar City, also acknowledged the problem .</p> <blockquote><p>The public has lost some trust; I think we have to be real about that. We have to be humble about that and recognize that</p><p>&mdash; Evan Vickers, Utah Senate President-elect, R-Cedar City</p></blockquote> <h2>What changes in January</h2> <p>Overriding a governor&#39;s veto in Utah takes a two-thirds vote in both chambers . Without a House supermajority, Republicans will now need help from Democrats or other non-Republicans to override Cox . The Legislature convenes Jan. 19 .</p> <p>Cox would not promise to veto more bills. He said a majority that cannot override vetoes on its own works as &quot;more of a brake than a gas pedal&quot; . The underlying redistricting lawsuit is still pending .</p> <p>The pattern is worth watching beyond Utah. Lawmakers in several states have narrowed or overridden laws that voters passed themselves. In Utah, a Republican governor now says that cost his party seats.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/utah-gov-cox-says-ignoring-voters-on-redistricting-cost-gop-its-legislative-supermajority">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/utah-gov-cox-says-ignoring-voters-on-redistricting-cost-gop-its-legislative-supermajority.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Salt Lake Tribune, “Gov. Cox: Ignoring voters on redistricting led to GOP's big Utah Legislature loss” (2026-11-09). sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/11/09/utah-elections-cox-point
2. Utah News Dispatch (via Yahoo News), “Utah Gov. Cox: Republicans 'suffered a historic defeat.' Now, he says they have to 'listen'” (2026-11-10). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/utah-gov-cox-republicans-su
3. KSL, “Governor says Utah GOP leaders need to 'listen more' following election losses” (2026-11-09). ksl.com/article/51644759/governor-says-utah-gop-leaders-need
4. St. George News, “Cox warns Utah Republicans' election losses show voters are tired of being ignored” (2026-11-09). stgeorgeutah.com/news/government-news/cox-warns-utah-republi
5. The Salt Lake Tribune, “McAdams wins, giving Utah Democrats a voice in Congress” (2026-11-03). sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/11/03/mcadams-favored-win-cong
6. AP (via WBAL-TV), “Judge adopts Utah congressional map creating a Democratic-leaning district for 2026” (2025-11-11). wbaltv.com/article/utah-judge-rejects-gop-map-democratic-dis
7. All About Redistricting (Loyola Law School), “Utah” (2026-07-08). redistricting.lls.edu/state/utah/

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