Elias Henry Montgomery is running as an independent for Utah's 1st Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He is one of four candidates certified for the ballot.
Montgomery filed as an unaffiliated candidate, according to the Utah Lieutenant Governor's 2026 Candidate Filings page. He faces Ben McAdams, a Democrat; Riley Owen, a Republican; and Jesse West, a Libertarian, according to BallotReady election data.
Candidate information
- Name: Elias Henry Montgomery
- Party: Independent (Unaffiliated)
- Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Utah 1st Congressional District
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Montgomery's campaign website and his BallotReady questionnaire responses. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.
Housing
Montgomery says he wants to legalize and streamline "missing-middle" housing such as duplexes, townhomes and small apartments to add affordable supply. He also says he would discourage large-scale institutional purchases of single-family homes and prioritize owner-occupants. His stated goal is to prevent Utah families from being outbid by corporate investors, according to his campaign website.
Taxes and federal budget
Montgomery says he supports ending federal income taxation on individual citizens over a 10-year period. He says he would shift federal revenue authority to the states, requiring the federal government to operate on uniform dues paid by each state as a fixed percentage of its gross domestic product. He also says he would place the Federal Reserve under an automated algorithmic growth cap to strip discretionary money-printing power, according to his campaign website.
Healthcare
Montgomery says he supports passing a universal catastrophic healthcare floor to protect families from medical bankruptcy. He says he would maintain the federal emergency stabilization law known as EMTALA for life-saving care. He also says he supports fast-tracking generic drug approvals to break up pharmaceutical monopolies and lower prescription costs, and outlawing surprise billing. He says he would restrict long-term, non-emergency care subsidies and public wellness benefits strictly to lawful residents, according to his campaign website.
Government reform
Montgomery says he supports a strict single-subject rule for legislation, banning omnibus spending packages. He says he would launch a real-time public tracking system for every federal agency transaction over $25,000. He also says he supports shifting redistricting power away from politicians, with a stated goal of making Salt Lake County elections more competitive, according to his campaign website.
Education
Montgomery says he supports focusing public school curriculum on core academics such as math, science, reading, history and civics. He says he would establish objective standards for school library materials and give parents access to online portals to review lessons, textbooks and library catalogs. He also says he supports winding down what he calls federal overreach from the "D.C. Department of Education," according to his campaign website.
This profile is based on the candidate's campaign website, BallotReady questionnaire responses and Utah state filing records. No candidate interview was conducted. Voters can find more information at eliasmontgomery.com.
