Ben McAdams defeats progressives in Utah Democratic primary as he seeks a return to US House

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Ben McAdams, a former Utah congressman who has sought to shed his reputation as a moderate, won the Democratic primary Tuesday in a redrawn U.S. House district that Democrats are strongly favored to win this fall.

His victory over three progressive candidates disappointed voters who wanted to push the Democratic Party further to the left in a race that illustrated the ideological clash playing out in Democratic primaries across the country this year. His opponents included a state senator and a former employee of TikTok and Meta who had insisted McAdams is too conservative to represent a left-leaning district. Some had urged one or two of the candidates to drop out of the primary to give a progressive a greater chance of winning.

The seat in the Salt Lake City area is among the few anticipated Democratic pickups following a national redistricting fight started by President Donald Trump to try to help Republicans maintain their majority in the U.S. House.

The 1st Congressional District race could be crucial for Democrats, who need to gain only a few House seats in November to take control of the narrowly divided chamber.

McAdams is strongly favored to defeat Republican Riley Owen, an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve who was chosen during the state GOP’s spring convention.

“Tonight this victory belongs to every volunteer who showed up on a hot June afternoon and knocked door after door,” McAdams told supporters after his win. “The energy and the passion your campaigns brought to this race is exactly what we need headed into November.”

The other three of Utah’s four congressional seats are considered safely Republican, including the 3rd District, where U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy, who was endorsed by Trump, fended off a conservative challenge from the right.

Former Democratic congressman recast himself for the campaign

Candidates in the new Salt Lake City-area district tried to outflank one another on the left. That marks a departure from decades of Democrats trying to appeal to Utah’s mostly conservative electorate.

State Democrats held an open primary, meaning anyone in the district can vote, regardless of party affiliation.

McAdams previously described himself as pro-life and pitched himself as a moderate during his 2018 campaign, when he ousted a GOP incumbent in the midterms of Trump’s first term. This year, as he campaigned in a much more Democratic district, McAdams pledged his support for abortion rights and insisted that he’s only “moderate in tone.”

After his primary win, McAdams outlined his previous work in Congress to expand healthcare, invest in public lands and secure protections for LGBTQ+ communities. But he said his defining vote was to impeach Trump, which was met with loud applause from his supporters.

“I would do it again,” he said. “Character matters, courage matters and right now talk is cheap. Utahans deserve someone who has already shown the courage to stand up and speak with conviction when the pressure is real.”

Progressive candidates generated enthusiasm, but split their voters

Among McAdams’ opponents was state Sen. Nate Blouin, a progressive firebrand in the Republican-controlled Legislature who had hoped to bounce back from a social media controversy.

Blouin apologized in April for several posts he made on internet forums between 2009 and 2015 that denigrated women and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Utah-based faith known widely as the Mormon church.

Blouin tried to energize an electorate he said has grown accustomed to settling for someone who will “play nice” with Republicans. He racked up endorsements from some of the country’s most prominent progressives, including independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Greg Casar and Maxwell Frost.

On Tuesday night, he looked ahead and issued a statement saying his campaign, while falling short, marked “the beginning of a new era of organizing” in the state.

“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,” he said.

Two other progressive candidates, both political newcomers, Liban Mohamed and Michael Farrell, also vied for the seat.

Mohamed, a former Meta and TikTok employee, was a breakout star at the state’s Democratic convention earlier this year, where he emerged victorious after five rounds of ranked choice voting to earn the party’s backing in the primary over McAdams. His competitors still were able to qualify for the primary ballot by gathering signatures. Mohamed was backed by other prominent progressives, including U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.

While progressive voters had a wealth of candidates from which to choose, some also worried the field was too big as they voted in the primary.

Emily Cort, who cast her ballot for Blouin at the Salt Lake County Government Center, said she was concerned progressive support would be diluted among the three and that would lead to a win by McAdams. She wished at least one would have considered dropping out to give progressives a better chance of succeeding.

“And I do wish that an agreement could have been come to prior to the actual Election Day,” she said. “So that is unfortunate.”

GOP incumbent hangs on against challenger from the right

Utah’s new congressional map also left Maloy vulnerable to a primary challenge from a candidate who is further to the right.

But she handily defeated former state lawmaker Phil Lyman, who embraced false claims of fraud following the 2020 presidential election.

The district, spanning most of southern and eastern Utah, emerged last fall from a legal battle over the state’s previous congressional map, dramatically altering its makeup.

Maloy was first elected to Congress in a special election in 2023 and was reelected to a full term in 2024. She worked previously as a soil conservationist and an attorney with a focus on public lands and water policy.

After her primary win, she issued a statement saying her campaign was focused on promoting “the conservative results” she had produced for her constituents.

She will face Democratic nominee Kent Udell, an engineer, in the November general election. Maloy is heavily favored to win in the deep red 3rd District.

Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press