Elias Montgomery

Elias Montgomery graduated from West Jordan High School. Montgomery earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah in 2025. Montgomery's career experience includes working as a policy analyst.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Elias Henry Montgomery, an Independent candidate running for U.S. Congress in Utah’s First Congressional District. High prices and disappearing housing options aren't an accident—they are driven by a broken political system that values party power over people. I am stepping outside traditional red and blue dividing lines to offer a genuine choice. My purpose is to invite all Utahns to reject the false choices of tribal politics.

I am not a moderate or a centrist trying to split the difference between two broken party platforms to find a weak compromise. Instead, I seek a systemic synthesis by filtering the values of every issue through a fixed policy compass. The ultimate goal of this compass is to lead us away from arbitrary governance—where shifting standards and rigged rules only serve whoever holds power—and guide us back to a balanced framework of law.

This compass ensures a consistent, objective, and principled addressal of policymaking designed to help all people and do no harm. Objective governance requires balancing individual freedom with stable structural protections. I am fighting for an unchanging, level playing field where the rules are transparent, steady, and identical for everyone.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must systematically break down artificial market barriers to bring real relief to housing and essential goods. My method evaluates the housing market to put local buyers first, discouraging the large-scale institutional purchase of single-family homes so Utah families aren't outbid by distant corporate investors. We must legalize and streamline "missing-middle" housing like duplexes and townhomes to add practical supply normal paychecks can afford. True relief requires an objective structure that strips away corporate shortcuts, rewards small-business competition, and organically lowers the cost of living.Fixing a broken system requires a consistent method to strip away arbitrary rules and insider favoritism. To restore voter power, we must enact a proportional nomination model, requiring political parties to only nominate candidates to apportioned offices in direct proportion to their voter affiliation—breaking single-party monopolies. Fiscally, we must end corporate welfare by eliminating federal subsidies that let monopolies bypass the free market. Government spending must be bound by a Legislative Single-Subject Mandate to outlaw giant omnibus bills, and we must mandate a real-time, public digital ledger for federal transactions so outlays are fully transparent.Utah works best when decisions are made close to the people they affect. My method protects local control by ensuring communities retain the voice to zone their own neighborhoods without centralized bureaucratic interference. Structurally, we must secure federal transportation grants for the Rio Grande Plan to depress downtown rail lines, eliminating rail-barrier pollution while freeing up 50 blocks of urban space for affordable housing. Furthermore, I am firmly opposed to fast-tracking massive industrial facilities like the Box Elder data center, which bypass standard public hearings and threaten our local water tables. We must protect Utah's grid from corporate exploitation and invest in cost-cutting, resilient regional assets.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Economic inequality is driven by a rigged system of crony capitalism where corporate lobbyists shift the goalposts to protect the powerful while squeezing working families. I am passionate about replacing this favoritism with steady, transparent rules that protect local buyers and small businesses. My plan discourages large-scale institutional purchase of single-family homes so corporate investors cannot outbid local families. We must streamline "missing-middle" housing like duplexes and townhomes to add affordable supply. To end market manipulation, we must eliminate federal subsidies that let monopolies bypass competition, stop reckless money-printing that fuels inflation, and simplify our complex tax code.