- Rep. Karianne Lisonbee announced she won't seek reelection in 2026.
- Lisonbee served in Utah House leadership from 2022 until earlier this year.
- She sponsored several bills on abortion, including the state's near-total abortion "trigger ban."
SALT LAKE CITY — The former Utah House majority whip announced Wednesday she will not seek another term as a state lawmaker.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, said it's time "for a new chapter and new opportunities in my life," and she will not run for reelection in 2026.
This comes a few months after Lisonbee lost her bid for House majority leader to Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise. Before that, she had been serving in House leadership since November 2022 as whip and assistant whip.
Lisonbee said her loss in this year's leadership election didn't play a role in her decision not to run again.
"I am prayerful about each big decision in my life," she told KSL. "I have felt that this is the right choice for me and my district at this time."
In a statement posted on X, Lisonbee said she will have spent 16 years in public service when her current term expires. She said representing House District 14 has been "the honor of a lifetime," and she is "humbly grateful for the support from so many who care deeply about preserving our liberty and way of life."
"I would not have been able to dedicate countless hours in service over these many years without the unfailing support and encouragement from my dear husband, Seth," she added. "I am deeply grateful to him. We plan to remain active and involved in our community."
Lisonbee listed several policy accomplishments from her time on Capitol Hill, including "protecting the unborn" and "defending 2nd Amendment rights." She was the House sponsor of the state's near-total abortion "trigger ban" in 2020 and has sponsored several other bills seeking to restrict access to abortion after that law was temporarily put on hold.
"Utahns deeply value human life in all stages, in all circumstances," she told KSL in an interview in 2023. "And as legislators, we are committed to upholding those values in our laws."
Lisonbee's views on abortion received worldwide attention in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned in 2022, when she told reporters of a critical text message she received saying she should "seek to control men's ejaculations and not women's pregnancies, and that (she) clearly (doesn't) trust women enough to make choices to control their body."
"My response is, I do trust women enough to control when they allow a man to ejaculate … inside of them and to control that intake of semen," Lisonbee said.
Lisonbee walked back the comments the next day, telling the Salt Lake Tribune: "Women do not have a choice when they are raped and have protections under Utah's trigger law. … I am committed to ongoing respectful and civil engagement. I can always do better and will continue to try."
During the past legislative session, Lisonbee successfully sponsored bills dealing with criminal justice, education, and administrative procedures.
A former member of the Syracuse City Council, Lisonbee has served in the House of Representatives since 2017. She is currently chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee. Her district includes parts of Clearfield and Syracuse.
Asked if she has any preference for who succeeds her, Lisonbee said, "I trust they will support a candidate who has the attitude of a statesman, not a politician, someone who will work hard, be responsive and preserve our God-given freedoms."
