Full Breakdown
Ben McAdams Wins Utah Democratic Primary in Newly Created Safe District
6/25/2026, 12:32:54 AM
Primary Outcome and Vote Share
Former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams won the Democratic primary for Utah’s newly drawn 1st Congressional District on June 23, 2026 with 60.2 % of the vote. State Sen. Nate Blouin received 24 %, former Meta/TikTok employee Liban Mohamed 12 %, and attorney Michael Farrell 4 %.
Redistricting Context
A 2025 state-court ruling invalidated Utah’s 2021 map for breaching the anti-gerrymandering amendment, creating a district that merges Salt Lake City and suburbs. The Cook Political Report rates it +12 points for Democrats and estimates it would have favored Kamala Harris by about 24 percentage points, making it the state’s only safe Democratic seat.
Candidates, Endorsements, and Fundraising
McAdams, a former Salt Lake County mayor and one-term congressman, raised about $1.9 million, outpacing the $2.7 million raised by his three opponents combined. Total primary spending reached roughly $4.6 million. Blouin secured endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Pramila Jayapal, Greg Casar, Maxwell Frost, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley; Mohamed was backed by Omar and Pressley. Republican Riley Owen, a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, will contest the November race.
Reactions, Critique, and Voter Sentiment
Utah Democratic Party chair Brian King said the new map “energized Democrats” and praised McAdams’s coalition-building stance. McAdams thanked voters, citing the “energy and passion” of the campaign. Progressive leaders argued he is too moderate for a heavily Democratic district; Blouin warned that “money shapes a campaign” and lamented the split vote that handed him the win. Supporter Donna Gunn called McAdams a “fierce ally for LGBTQ+ rights.” McAdams, who was pro-life in 2018, now supports nationwide abortion access, a shift not uniformly reported.
Implications and Next Steps
The 1st District is one of the few pickups needed for Democrats to gain a House majority. A win would validate targeting red-state districts with centrist candidates, while the progressive split highlights intra-party debates. McAdams will face Republican Riley Owen in November; a victory would add a safe Democratic seat from Utah and narrow the margin for a Democratic majority.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The energy and the passion your campaigns brought to this race is exactly what we need headed into November,” — Ben McAdams, Former U.S. Representative
- “Character matters, courage matters and right now talk is cheap.” — Ben McAdams, Former U.S. Representative
- “I’d so much rather be out there on the ground talking to people, but we saw how much money shapes a campaign,” — Nate Blouin, State Senator
- “The progressive movement in Utah still has a long way to go, but we’ve helped forge the path forward, and we’ll keep organizing for a better Utah where public lands are protected, ICE is abolished, and reproductive freedom is secure,” — Nate Blouin, State Senator
