This Utah Republican is challenging a longtime GOP lawmaker for a seat in the Senate

SALT LAKE CITY — Two more Republican state lawmakers won’t be returning to their seats after next year, with one seeking to unseat a GOP senator and another stepping away from lawmaking altogether.

Reps. Doug Fiefia, R-Herriman, and Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, are the latest legislators to announce they will not seek reelection as the filing period opens on Friday.

Fiefia, who was just elected to the House of Representatives in 2024 to represent House District 48, announced Wednesday that he plans to run for Utah Senate in District 18, which has been held by Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, since 2019.

“There’s so much more work to be done and we are just getting started,” Fiefia said in a video posted to X. “Utah is growing fast. Technology is changing faster and the choices we make now will shape the next generation. In my first legislative session, I took on one of the biggest fights Big Tech has ever seen, and we won. … That fight proved that Utah can lead the nation when we have the courage to act.”

McCay has spent more than a decade in the Legislature after being appointed to the House in 2012. He announced on Wednesday that he will seek reelection to his seat, setting up a fight to represent the GOP between an influential, longtime lawmaker and one of the rising stars in the House caucus.

McCay previously suggested that he would not seek reelection next year, but only if his wife, Tawnee, was elected mayor of Riverton in November. The couple said they had heard concerns from voters about having too much power concentrated under one roof, so McCay said he made the pledge to make sure his legislative service wouldn’t be the reason someone might not vote for his wife.

Tawnee McCay lost, and Dan McCay said he ultimately made the tough decision to run again after “a lot of prayer, personal reflection and conversations with my family and community leaders.”

“I’m deeply grateful for the strong encouragement and support from the mayors across the cities I represent — their confidence in our shared vision for Utah means the world to me,” he posted. “I’m also overwhelmed by the continued support from my legislative colleagues. We all work hard as a team and have been very effective for our districts.”

Peterson announced Tuesday that she would join the ranks of other lawmakers stepping back from the Legislature and not seek another term representing District 13, which covers parts of Clinton, Sunset, West Point and Clearfield in Davis County.

“It didn’t come lightly,” Peterson said of the decision in a post on Facebook. “I have loved serving our community. But I have always believed that public service is something we do for a time, that we take our turn and then step aside. I have been blessed by all those that served before me and trust that great people will serve after me.”

Peterson has served in the Legislature since 2022 and currently sits on the House Rules Committee as the vice chairwoman.

Candidates for state legislative seats can file between Friday and Jan. 8, so several sitting lawmakers have signaled their intent not to seek reelection as the deadline approaches.

They include Majority Assistant Whip Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville; Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse; Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City; Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay; Rep. Christine Watkins, R-Price; and Rep. Matthew Gwynn, R-Farr West.

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Contributing: Daniel Woodruff

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