As polls closed Tuesday in freshman U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy’s first reelection bid, the Republican took a double-digit lead in the heavily Republican 4th Congressional District.

The incumbent congressman faces three challengers in his solid red district: Democrat Jonny Larsen, libertarian Taylor Wright and unaffiliated candidate Steven Burt.

Early, unofficial returns as of 9:07 p.m. show Kennedy with 52.5% of votes counted, while Larsen trails at 41.1%, Burt with 3.8% and Wright with 2.6%.

Kennedy, a doctor and lawyer finishing his first term in Congress, currently represents the 3rd Congressional District. He is running in the 4th District covering the western portion of central Utah after a judge ordered state lawmakers to adopt a new congressional map in a yearslong redistricting fight.

Before his time in Washington, Kennedy spent a decade in the Utah Legislature, where he drew national attention for leading the push to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. He is now working to pass restrictions on the federal level.

Kennedy was among about a dozen lawmakers to visit the Terrorism Confinement Center, more commonly known as CECOT, in El Salvador in April 2025. El Salvador had recently agreed to confine hundreds of people deported by the Trump administration in the prison, which has been accused of human rights abuses.

In a statement, he told The Salt Lake Tribune that what he observed showed Trump was “restoring order and protecting our citizens.”

Note to readers • This is a developing story.