Democrat · Utah's 3rd District · 2026
Kent Udell
Udell spent college summers hauling hay and driving trucks in Wyoming before building a career in mechanical engineering.
Biography
Kent Udell was born in Lehi and raised in a large Latter Day Saint family.1 He and his wife, Cherise, now live near Moab, where his interests include river rafting, hiking, skiing and mountain biking.1 His career has centered on mechanical engineering, teaching and research.1
Udell spent decades at UC Berkeley and the University of Utah, including service as a department chair at Utah.1 His work has involved groundwater cleanup, energy systems and environmental remediation, alongside projects with mining, petroleum, geothermal and solar industries.1 He has also worked with federal agencies including the EPA and National Science Foundation.1
His campaign makes reliable water supplies and public lands stewardship priorities, naming the Great Salt Lake, Lake Powell and Colorado River system.1 He supports expanding access to Medicare, reducing insurers' influence in health care and protecting lawful gun ownership alongside safe storage, training and red flag laws.1
Making his first congressional run, Udell emphasizes affordability, transparency and accountability, including a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.2 The Democrat faces Republican Representative Celeste Maloy in the redrawn Third District, alongside Cassie Easley of the Constitution Party, Libertarian Michael Stoddard and unaffiliated candidates Adonis Hooslyn and Ayden Scott.2