U.S. House, Utah 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated October 6, 2026

Who should I vote for in Utah's 4th Congressional District?

Mike Kennedy has the strongest record in Utah's 4th Congressional District. Mike Kennedy scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jonny Larsen at 50, as of October 6, 2026. Mike Kennedy's highest marks are relevant experience and accountability. Steven Burt (6 of 15 criteria) and Taylor Wright (1 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.

Unaffiliated

Steven Burt

Not enough public record for a score

Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria

Character: 50
Qualifications: 60
Performance: NR

Campaign site FEC filings

Republican · incumbent

Strongest record

Mike Kennedy

62 / 100

Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria

Character: 55
Qualifications: 65
Performance: 67

Campaign site Official office FEC filings

Democratic

Jonny Larsen

50 / 100

Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria

Character: 50
Qualifications: 50
Performance: NR

Campaign site FEC filings

Libertarian

Taylor Wright

Not enough public record for a score

Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria

Character: NR
Qualifications: 50
Performance: NR

FEC filings

The good, the bad and the unresolved

The record

The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.

Steven Burt

No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.

Mike Kennedy

On the record2026-03
Under Utah's court-ordered 2026 map he lives in the 3rd District and is running in the 4th; federal law requires House members to live only in the state.
Source: KSL, March 8, 2026
On the record2026-06-20
Told the Deseret News in June 2026 that his first-term bills on wildfire research and overdose deaths were opened as bipartisan bills.
Source: Deseret News, June 20, 2026
On the record2025-12-17
Voted Nay on H.R. 3492, a bill to criminalize gender transition treatment for minors nationwide, as one of four Republicans opposed; he authored Utah's 2023 state law on the subject.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 351, Dec. 17, 2025, Utah Political Watch, Dec. 2025
On the record2025-03-20
Held an in-person town hall with Rep. Celeste Maloy in Salt Lake City on March 20, 2025, taking questions for nearly an hour from a crowd of about 250.
Source: KSL, March 2025
Credit2023
As a Utah state senator, sponsored a 2023 bill on treatment of minors that became law.
Source: Deseret News, Nov. 6, 2024

Jonny Larsen

On the record2026-09-21
Filed his required House candidate financial disclosures on Sept. 21, 2026, after the statutory deadline, and acknowledged the delay to KSL, citing an address change.
Sources: KSL, Sept. 22, 2026, House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082918
On the record2026-09-11
The Campaign Legal Center named him in a Sept. 11, 2026 complaint to the House Ethics Committee over missing candidate financial disclosure reports.
Where it stands: Complaint pending; no Ethics Committee action reported as of Oct. 6, 2026. He filed the reports on Sept. 21.
Source: KSL, Sept. 22, 2026

Taylor Wright

No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.

Who they are

Character

Integrity

Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.

2 / 4

Steven Burt. House candidate financial disclosures for 2025 and 2026 are on file with the House Clerk (filed after extensions) and campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075775, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk (filed Aug. 10, 2026 after an extension); his one periodic transaction report (a May 9, 2025 trade) was filed June 20, 2025, within 45 days. No House Ethics matter or FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074834, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20030542, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Filed his House candidate financial disclosure on Sept. 21, 2026, after a Campaign Legal Center complaint named him; he told KSL the delay came from an address change. No official finding of lateness.

Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082918, KSL, Sept. 22, 2026

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Courage

Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

2 / 4

Mike Kennedy. On Dec. 17, 2025 voted Nay on H.R. 3492, which passed 216 to 211 with Speaker Johnson and 213 Republicans voting Yea; he was one of four Republicans opposed.

Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 351, Dec. 17, 2025, Utah Political Watch, Dec. 2025

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Accountability

Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

3 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Held an in-person town hall with Rep. Celeste Maloy in March 2025, taking questions for nearly an hour from a hostile crowd; lists 20 town halls; is listed for the Oct. 8, 2026 general election debate.

Sources: KSL, March 2025, Office site, home page, KSL, July 9, 2026

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Is listed for the Utah Debate Commission's 4th District debate with Rep. Mike Kennedy at Snow College on Oct. 8, 2026.

Source: KSL, July 9, 2026

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Temperament and judgment

Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

2 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Family physician and attorney who served in the Utah House and Senate before Congress. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics matter found.

Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004 and then worked as a senior systems and network administrator. No conduct finding found.

Source: Ballotpedia, Jonny Larsen

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Fidelity to the oath

Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

2 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Held sworn office in the Utah House (2013 to 2019), Utah Senate (2021 to 2025) and U.S. House since January 2025, after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.

Source: Ballotpedia, Mike Kennedy

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004. No misuse-of-office finding found.

Source: Ballotpedia, Jonny Larsen

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

What they bring

Qualifications

Relevant experience

Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.

2 / 4

Steven Burt. Attorney for nearly 20 years, the last 10 as an in-house attorney and executive in the solar industry. Has not held public office.

Source: Campaign site

4 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Served three terms in the Utah House (2013 to 2019) and in the Utah Senate (2021 to 2025); in the U.S. House since January 2025.

Source: Ballotpedia, Mike Kennedy

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Marine Corps veteran (2000 to 2004) with a career as a senior systems and network administrator. Has not held public office.

Source: Ballotpedia, Jonny Larsen

2 / 4

Taylor Wright. Physical education teacher at a Herriman elementary school who has coached football at the middle school, high school and college levels and hosts a podcast. Has not held public office.

Source: Ballotpedia, Taylor Wright

Command of the job

Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.

2 / 4

Steven Burt. Publishes campaign pages on independence from the parties and Utah wildfire risk, in general terms.

Source: Campaign site

3 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Vice chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands; also on the Science, Space, and Technology and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.

Source: GovTrack, committee membership

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. His Ballotpedia survey sets out campaign themes in general terms.

Source: Ballotpedia, Jonny Larsen

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Communication

Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.

2 / 4

Steven Burt. Publishes campaign issue pages; has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.

Source: Campaign site

3 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Offers an email newsletter, holds town halls and 'Conversations with Kennedy' events, and is listed for the general election debate. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.

Sources: Office site, newsletter, Office site, events, KSL, March 2025

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and is listed for the 4th District debate.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Jonny Larsen, KSL, July 9, 2026

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Roots in the constituency

Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.

4 / 4

Steven Burt. Born and raised in South Jordan, where he still lives, in the 4th District. FEC by-state totals show about 85 percent of itemized individual contributions from Utah.

Sources: Campaign site, FEC contribution totals by state

1 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Lives in Alpine; KSL reports that under the new map he lives in the 3rd District, not the 4th he is seeking. Says he practiced medicine for over 20 years in 4th District communities. FEC by-state totals show about 74 percent of itemized individual contributions from Utah.

Sources: KSL, March 8, 2026, Deseret News, Nov. 6, 2024, FEC contribution totals by state

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Management

Can build and run an organization.

2 / 4

Steven Burt. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

Jonny Larsen. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

What they deliver

Performance

Results

Turns ideas into outcomes.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

2 / 4

Mike Kennedy. No Center for Effective Lawmaking score yet for his first term. As a state senator he sponsored a 2023 bill on medical treatment of minors that became law.

Source: Deseret News, Nov. 6, 2024

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Showing up

Does the basic work of the job.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

3 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Missed 12 of 676 roll call votes, 1.8 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.

Source: GovTrack, missed votes

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Constituent service

Solves problems for the people they represent.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

3 / 4

Mike Kennedy. Publishes constituent service totals (346 cases solved, 410 constituent meetings, $3.1 million in benefits returned) and keeps a district office in Provo.

Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, offices

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Coalition building

Wins support beyond their own faction.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

Mike Kennedy. No public record found.

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

Stewardship of public money

Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.

Steven Burt. No public record found.

Mike Kennedy. No public record found.

Jonny Larsen. No public record found.

Taylor Wright. No public record found.

How to read this

Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.

A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.

No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.

Questions

Who should I vote for in Utah's 4th Congressional District?

Who is running in Utah's 4th Congressional District in 2026?

Steven Burt (Unaffiliated), Mike Kennedy (Republican, incumbent), Jonny Larsen (Democratic), Taylor Wright (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.

Is Steven Burt a good candidate for Congress?

Steven Burt has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.

Is Mike Kennedy a good candidate for Congress?

Mike Kennedy scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance 67 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is Jonny Larsen a good candidate for Congress?

Jonny Larsen scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is Taylor Wright a good candidate for Congress?

Taylor Wright has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.

How is the strongest record decided?

The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.

More on this race: every Utah race scored, and the Utah 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.