Dr.Kent Udell
Congressional Candidate for Utah's District 3
Why I am running
I’m running for Congress because I love this country and I love Utah’s Third District. I can’t stand by while Washington grows more divisive, corrupt, and disconnected from the people it supposedly serves. We deserve a Representative who tells the truth, truly honors their oath to uphold our sacred Constitution, sees kindness as strength and solves real problems with honesty, evidence, and integrity. I’m running to serve to restore trust, compassion, accountability, and common sense to Congress.
Kent Stewart Udell was born in Lehi, Utah, and raised in a large Latter-day Saint family, where values of service, integrity, and community were central.
Over his career as a Mechanical Engineer, he worked directly with the mining, petroleum, geothermal, and solar industries which has given him invaluable firsthand understanding of the livelihoods, concerns, and aspirations of working families across the West.
Much of his focus has been on complex water issues, environmental remediation, developing sustainable energy alternatives and educating the next generation of engineers.
He has served on several federal advising boards and worked extensively with federal agencies including the E.P.A., the National Science Foundation, the U.S Navy and U.S. Department of Defense.
About me
Kent also spent decades as a professor and researcher at UC Berkeley and the University of Utah, where he was also Department Chair.
Over the course of his career, he has been true to his belief that balancing economic vitality, stewardship of land and water are long-term responsibilities to future generations. His work in groundwater cleanup, energy systems, and sustainable engineering has been applied worldwide.
Today, Kent lives near Moab on a 10 acre property with his wife, Cherise, surrounded by the red rock landscapes they love. An avid river rafter, hiker, skier and mountain biker, he understand viscerally that water is life and public lands are a shared inheritance. He believes that Utah's 3rd district embodies both rugged independence and deep interdependence and that effective representation must honor both.
“I’m not a career politician nor a lawyer. I am an engineering scientist and educator. I identify problems and work to solve them, not make problems and promise to solve them.”
“I am running a campaign on the essentials – BREAD & BUTTER, LAND & WATER and RULE OF LAW. If we do not have these basics, what do we have?”
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Key Issues
The Constitution
Our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the foundational promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are sacred. These are not slogans, they are guardrails that keep us on the path to a better future. Once elected, I will proudly take the oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”. I will defend our constitutional rights, oppose overreach from any branch of government, and hold leaders accountable when they violate our constitutional principals.
Rule of Law
No one is above the law. Selective enforcement, political prosecutions, and unchecked executive power, erode trust in our government and threaten effective peace keeping. I will support equal application of the law and defend due process, civil liberties, and democratic norms.
Water
Water is life in the West. With the Great Salt Lake, Lake Powell and the Colorado River system under real threat, we must act responsibly and urgently. This is one of my top priorities. I will work to protect our rights to clean, reliable water for communities, farms, and tribal nations, now and for future generations.
Public Lands
Utah’s public lands are a priceless inheritance, not a short-term commodity. We can debate how to use them, but the goal must always be the same: prosper today without stealing from tomorrow. I will defend public lands and long-term stewardship in cooperation with the needs of my constituents.
Our immigration system is broken, but cruelty, chaos, and political theater are not solutions. We need lawful, humane, and workable policies that respect the rule of law, treat people with dignity, and support communities, employers, and border states. Additionally, we must always uphold our constitutional rights such as the 4th Amendment which protects individuals against unreasonable search and seizures by the government. The right to be secure in our persons and houses must be guaranteed. I support serious legislative reform, not fear-based politics.
Immigration
Anti-Corruption
Corruption is poisoning our country. From dark money in our elections to regulatory avoidance, too many decisions in Washington benefit the powerful instead of the needs of Americans. I will fight for transparency, accountability, and ethics reforms that put American interests, not special interests, first.
Energy
America needs reliable, affordable energy, now and in the future. As an engineer, I support an all-of-the-above approach grounded in science, innovation, and economics. We can strengthen energy security, protect water and land, and lead in clean-energy technologies without being distracted by ideological extremes.
As a lifelong gun owner, I support the Second Amendment and the responsibility that comes with it. We can protect lawful gun ownership while taking commonsense steps to reduce preventable violence. I support gun safety training, safe storage, and Red Flag Laws, not fear-based political posturing.
Gun Rights and Safety
Health Care
Our health care costs are too high, and our outcomes are below what should be expected for the price. There are dozens of international examples of better health care for less cost. We should learn from those examples to reform our health care system, diminishing the influence of insurance companies, and expand programs, such as Medicare, to be accessible to all. Reforms need to be focused on reduced costs , better outcomes and the liberty to change jobs and start new businesses without health care cost worries.
Housing
While many of us who have owned homes for decades are not negatively affected by rising housing costs, our younger generation finds that home ownership is not affordable without high wages. I support initiatives that focus on building starter homes in communities with access to family-friendly resources such as good schools, parks and churches.
Artificial Intelligence
Like it or not, we are all being pulled into the AI world. Opportunities and dangers coexist. With uncorrupted data, AI promises pathways to new scientific discoveries while relieving workers of mind-numbing drudgery. On the other hand, it blurs the line between reality and illusion, and, if given agency as a “person”, the cat is out of the bag. I will propose legislation that requires AI-generated material to be labeled as such, and that AI entities cannot be given agency reserved for humans.
Constituent Services
Your Representative should work for you – not donors, not party bosses, and not special interests. I pledge to run an open, responsive office that helps constituents navigate federal agencies, and solves real problems. Your voice will be heard. I will serve you with respect, honesty, and diligence. I know that trust is not just given, it must be earned, so my goal is to cultivate this trust over time through my actions and not my words.
I do not take corporate PAC money, and I will never put donor interests ahead of the people I represent.
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Kent's Track Record
Kent Udell’s career has been defined by solving hard problems with real-world consequences where integrity, evidence, and accountability matter.
01
Protecting Water & Public Health
Kent pioneered groundwater cleanup technologies now used worldwide to remove toxic contamination from aquifers and protect drinking water. His work has reduced long-term environmental and health risks for communities that depend on clean, reliable water.
02
Restoring Contaminated Federal Sites
He led multidisciplinary teams that brought innovative cleanup solutions to heavily polluted sites, including the successful environmental restoration of Naval Air Station Alameda before its transfer to civilian use—work carried out in collaboration with federal agencies, including the Department of Defense.
03
Building Ethical Leadership in Engineering
Recognizing that technical decisions carry moral weight, Kent developed and taught a widely respected course in Engineering Ethics. The course emphasized accountability, public service, and responsibility to future generations—principles he brings to public office.
04
Strengthening Education & Workforce Readiness
As Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, Kent nearly doubled undergraduate enrollment, expanded access to engineering education, and launched new programs in sustainable energy and energy storage—preparing students for a changing economy.
05
Bridging Industry and Stewardship
Kent has worked directly in the ranching, mining, petroleum, and energy sectors, as well as with government and research institutions. His career demonstrates that economic vitality and environmental responsibility can—and must—advance together.
06
Decades of Trusted Public Service
Over a career spanning academia, industry, and government collaboration, Kent built a reputation for honesty, competence, and results. He retired as Professor Emeritus after decades of service and now brings that same problem-solving mindset to Congress.
Extended Biography
Kent Stewart udell
Kent Stewart Udell is a lifelong Utahn whose life and career have spanned rural and urban communities, industry and academia, faith and science, conservation and energy production. That breadth of experience has shaped his belief that durable solutions come not from ideology, but from listening, honesty, and respect for the people most affected by policy decisions.
Kent studied Mechanical Engineering at Utah State University, working summers hauling hay, driving trucks, and supporting ranching operations in Wyoming. He went on to earn a PhD after graduate studies at the University of Utah, initially focused on helping address the energy crisis of the 1970s through oil shale research. Over the course of his career, he worked directly in the ranching, mining, and petroleum sectors, gaining firsthand understanding of the livelihoods that sustain much of the American West.
His professional work also brought him into close collaboration with federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense, where engineering decisions carried real consequences for public safety, environmental protection, and national responsibility. These experiences reinforced his belief that when government, industry, and communities work together honestly, progress is possible, and when they don’t, trust erodes.
Kent spent decades as a professor, researcher, and department chair at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the University of Utah. His research in groundwater remediation led to pioneering technologies now used worldwide to clean contaminated aquifers and protect drinking water. He also led major environmental cleanup efforts, including the restoration of Naval Air Station Alameda before its transfer to civilian use.
Recognizing the ethical weight of engineering decisions, Kent developed and taught a widely respected course in Engineering Ethics. Its core principle was simple but demanding: engineering is a public service discipline, and professionals must always consider who benefits, who bears risk, and how decisions affect future generations. That ethic – evidence-based, accountable, and human-centered – defines his approach to public service.
As Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, Kent expanded access to engineering education, launched programs in sustainable energy, and helped prepare students for a rapidly changing energy and economic landscape. He retired in 2023 as Professor Emeritus.
Kent’s roots in Utah run deep. He is a direct descendant of Jacob Hamblin and a member of the Udall family, including former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, figures known for bridge-building, stewardship of public lands, and principled public service. Those legacies inform Kent’s commitment to balancing economic vitality with long-term responsibility to land, water, and community.
Today, Kent lives near Moab with his wife, Cherise, surrounded by the red rock landscapes he loves. An avid river rafter, hiker, skier, and mountain biker, he understands viscerally that water is life and public lands are a shared inheritance. He believes Utah’s 3rd District embodies both rugged independence and deep interdependence and that effective representation must honor both.
