Owens’ announcement on Wednesday follows a redistricting shakeup in Utah that changed which members could run for Congress this fall, leaving the state’s four Republican representatives to compete for three U.S. House seats in a new map. In a statement that set his political timeline, the Republican said he would not seek reelection and instead planned to conclude his current term before leaving elected office.
Owens, who has served three terms in Congress, said he would finish out his term “fully committed and fully accountable.” He said his final political work would be “here in Utah and across the country,” helping Republican colleagues expand the party’s majority, according to his remarks.
The change in Utah’s House districts stems from the congressional map that was adopted by a state judge last year, after which Owens and other Republican officials sued to block the new boundaries. Federal and state judges rejected the bids, concluding it was too late to alter the district lines for the 2026 elections.
With Owens stepping aside, the field in Utah’s Republican-leaning districts shifts as the other incumbents plan their bids for the three seats. Owens’ pending retirement clears a path for Reps. Blake Moore, Celeste Maloy and Mike Kennedy to run in the districts this fall without facing another incumbent in the newly configured seats, according to the report.
In Utah’s new Salt Lake County district, the Democratic field is expected to be crowded, with former Rep. Ben McAdams among those seeking to run. The report described McAdams as a moderate who Owens narrowly defeated when McAdams first entered Congress in 2020, and it said state Democrats could field their most progressive candidate yet with support from local officials aligned to McAdams’ left.
Owens’ decision also reflects a broader wave of retirements in the House this year, with the report citing 53 sitting members—21 Democrats and 32 Republicans—who have said they plan to leave Congress after 2026. The decision comes amid primaries that are already underway in the first few states, and it remains unclear from the report whether any Black members of the House Republican conference will be present next year.
The announcement reduces the number of Black Republican lawmakers serving in the House, the report said, noting that all four Black Republicans in the chamber have announced they are leaving Congress. It said Byron Donalds of Florida, John James of Michigan and Wesley Hunt of Texas are seeking other offices, while Owens said he would work on advancing opportunity, advocating for children and strengthening families from outside elected office.
The report added background on the other departures and related election dynamics. It said Donalds announced in February 2025 that he would run to succeed term-limited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, James said in April he would run in Michigan’s open governor’s race, and Hunt made official in October his challenge to Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
After that timeline, the report said Hunt lost the primary Tuesday, and Cornyn would face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May runoff. Owens himself played in the NFL for the New York Jets and won a Super Bowl with the Raiders in 1980 before entering politics, and the report said he has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and has called him “an advocate for Black Americans.”
In the final context provided, the report said the last time the House had no Black Republicans was between 2013 and 2015. With Owens’ retirement, it said the outcome for the next Congress will depend on whether any Black Republican lawmakers emerge from the current retirements and election contests.