Carlton E. Bowen is running as an Independent for Utah's 2nd Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Bowen, who says he serves as state chair of the Independent American Party of Utah, filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on March 24, 2026. He is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. The other candidates in the race are Blake D. Moore (Republican), Daniel Rhead Cottam (Libertarian), Peter Crosby (Democratic) and Robert M. Moesinger (Independent).

Candidate information

  • Party: Independent
  • Residence: Utah; Bowen says he was born and raised in the state with family roots in northern Utah
  • Family: Married to Linda; six children and sixteen grandchildren, according to his campaign
  • Education: Associate degree in imagery and intelligence analysis, Community College of the Air Force; bachelor of science (cum laude) in economics, Weber State University, according to his campaign

Experience and public service

Bowen says he served as an intelligence specialist in the U.S. Air Force from 1988 to 1994, earning recognition in the intelligence field. He later moved to the private sector. He has worked as a senior IT project manager at Intermountain Healthcare, according to his campaign website. BallotReady lists him as a former councilmember in American Fork City.

In 2024, Bowen ran for U.S. Senate as a third-party candidate. He says he received 83,972 votes statewide, or 5.7% of the total, and participated in a three-way Utah Debate Commission-sponsored debate alongside the Republican and Democratic nominees.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Bowen's campaign website and his BallotReady questionnaire responses.

Constitutional governance: Bowen says every vote he casts in the U.S. House would begin with one question: "Where is the Constitutional authority?" He says bills lacking constitutional authority cannot be supported by anyone who takes their oath of office seriously.

Taxes and budget: Bowen says he will fight for fiscal responsibility and honest budgeting. He says Congress is not authorized to spend without limit simply because both parties want to avoid hard choices.

Defense and veterans: Bowen says he supports a strong, modern military, expanded domestic munitions production, a rebuilt defense industrial base and building out America's icebreaker fleet with proper Coast Guard support. He says he opposes unconstitutional domestic surveillance, reckless foreign entanglements and the misuse of national-security language to justify questionable projects.

Infrastructure: Bowen opposes the Box Elder Data Center project and says that if elected, he will use every constitutional power of the U.S. House to undo the Military Installation Development Authority approval of the project.

Family and social policy: Bowen says families are the foundation of a strong society. He says the federal government should stop punishing marriage, respect parental rights, protect religious liberty and reduce federal burdens on family life.

Candidate responses were gathered from Carlton Bowen's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire. All policy positions represent the candidate's own statements.