Nearly Two Dozen Candidates File to Seek Utah Legislative Seats on Forward Party Ballot Line

Twenty-two candidates have filed paperwork to run for seats in the Utah Legislature on the Forward Party ballot line in the 2026 general election, according to filing information released by the Utah lieutenant governor’s office.

Filings published in January show that 15 candidates are running for seats in the Utah House of Representatives with the Forward Party, while seven more are seeking positions in the Utah Senate. Individual documents indicate that most of the candidates intend to seek the party’s nomination through its 2026 nominating convention. Three candidates also indicated that they may pursue access to the general election ballot through Utah’s petitioning process if they do not receive support from the state party organization.

The Forward Party is one of eight political parties currently recognized by the state of Utah. Other qualifying parties include the Independent American Party, the Libertarian Party, the Constitution Party, and the Green Party, among others. The filing list further shows that the Forward Party and the Constitution Party are the only third party organizations to have candidates file on their respective ballot lines so far this election cycle.

The current report does not include candidates for Congress, which are expected to be released in March, nor does it include filings for local offices. In the 2024 general election, the party, then operating as the Utah Forward Party, fielded four candidates for state and local office in Utah on its ballot line. The party also endorsed a slate of affiliated candidates running under the Republican, Democratic, and United Utah party labels. Since that election cycle, the Utah Forward Party has merged with the United Utah Party into the modern Forward Party of Utah.

All 22 candidates are eligible to seek the party’s nomination through its convention process based on their respective filings. The three candidates who also expressed interest in petitioning have an alternative path to the general election ballot if they fail to secure delegate support. Under Utah’s petitioning process, candidates for the Utah House of Representatives must collect at least 1,000 valid signatures from registered voters in their district, while candidates for the Utah Senate must collect 2,000 signatures.

The Forward Party of Utah has not yet publicly announced details for its upcoming state convention. Party conventions are typically held later in the spring to meet ballot access and certification deadlines. A full list of Forward Party candidates who have filed for the 2026 election cycle, along with the legislative districts they are seeking and how they filed, is provided below.