- Republican Dave Robinson enters Utah's 1st Congressional District race against several Democrats.
- Robinson is in the middle of ongoing litigation against several GOP officials.
SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Dave Robinson announced his campaign for Utah's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, joining a crowded field of Democrats already running for the blue-leaning seat in Salt Lake County.
"I'm not a career politician or an outrage merchant," Robinson said in a statement announcing his campaign. "I'm a problem-solver who has spent years in the trenches of water policy, land use and housing."
He said his experience has shown him "how the establishment and 'uniparty' work behind closed doors, manipulating the system and making you pay their steep price."
Robinson, a former volunteer spokesman for the Salt Lake County Republican Party, is in the process of suing several GOP officials for defamation after he was accused of sexual harassment and bullying by several women. Scott Miller, the chairman of the county party, resigned in 2021 after he questioned the motives of those women.
Many of the claims have been dismissed, but the litigation continues, and a hearing is scheduled in the case for Feb. 25.
"There have been serious allegations made against me, and they deserve scrutiny," Robinson told KSL. "Allegations, no matter how many times reported, are not facts. What matters are records and sworn testimony. I'm confident in what the record shows, and I trust voters to distinguish between allegations and proof."
Robinson is the lone GOP contender in the race for the 1st Congressional District, which heavily favors Democrats after 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson threw out the old congressional maps and adopted a remedial one last year. The state Supreme Court in 2024 ruled lawmakers overreached by changing Proposition 4, an anti-gerrymandering initiative, and Gibson said the previous maps stemmed from that unconstitutional act.
Although the state Legislature has appealed Gibson's ruling to the Supreme Court and pushed back the congressional candidate filing deadline to mid-March as the Legislature hopes to have the ruling reversed, Robinson said he chose to throw his hat in the ring now despite the potential for things to change.
"The congressional maps are what they are today, and there's no reason to wait," he said. "Delaying only means less time to engage voters in CD1 on urgent issues like wildfire risk in the east bench and Cottonwood canyons, the shortage of workforce housing, immigration and high taxes."
Utah Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens have also filed a federal lawsuit, alleging Gibson's ruling violates the U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause.
Republicans currently hold all four of Utah's congressional seats, and it's unclear where each will run if they seek reelection, given that only three of the seats in the new districts are favorable to the GOP. But Robinson said he still plans to stay in the race regardless.
Multiple Democrats have launched campaigns for the seat, including state Sen. Nate Blouin, Salt Lake City Councilwoman Eva Lopez Chavez, former state Sen. Derek Kitchen, former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, former TikTok employee Liban Mohamed and state Sen. Kathleen Riebe.
The filing period for U.S. House candidates runs from March 9-13. The primary election is June 23, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
