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

The Salt Lake City area's 1st Congressional District 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. Democrats need to gain only a few 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. Nevertheless, he appealed to his primary challengers and their supporters to help maintain the party's momentum.

“The energy and the passion your campaigns brought to this race is exactly what we need headed into November,” McAdams said after his win.

The other three of Utah's four congressional seats are considered safely Republican. That includes the 3rd District, where Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy fended off a challenge from further right.

Former Democratic congressman recast himself for the campaign

Candidates in the new district tried to outflank one another on the left, marking a departure from decades of Democrats trying to appeal to Utah's mostly conservative electorate.

During his 2018 campaign, McAdams pitched himself as a moderate when he ousted a GOP incumbent in the midterms of Trump’s first term. He also described himself at the time as having anti-abortion views, but said the decision to terminate a pregnancy should be made by a woman in consultation with her doctors, family and faith counselors. 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.”

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

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. Utahns deserve someone who has already shown the courage to stand up and speak with conviction when the pressure is real.”

A supporter, Donna Gunn, said McAdams' victory is an opportunity to send a fierce ally for LGBTQ+ rights back to Washington. While she was dejected after the 2024 presidential race, she said Tuesday's primary outcome restored her hope.

“We are so happy and so lucky to get Ben, who’s going to stand up to that bully in the White House,” she said.

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. He 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 said the field was too big and ended up splitting their support too many ways.

“It definitely was a heartbreaking feeling,” said Alex Minero, a Blouin supporter. “I still think having a Democrat in Congress is a win. It’s still better than nothing, but Nate Blouin would’ve done a much better job than Ben McAdams.”

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.

Associated Press writer Matthew Brown in Denver contributed to this report.