The race for Utah’s 1st Congressional District has been ongoing, with four candidates competing for the Democratic nomination: Ben McAdams, Nate Blouin, Liban Mohamed and Michael Farrell.
The district has become one of Utah’s most closely watched congressional races following court-ordered redistricting. This has created a window of opportunity for Democrats, as they are favored to win a seat in Congress for the first time since 2021.
The Democratic primary features four candidates: Ben McAdams, Nate Blouin, Liban Mohamed and Michael Farrell.
Ben McAdams previously represented Utah’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2019 to 2021. He narrowly lost his reelection bid to Rep. Burgess Owens in 2020 by 3,665 votes, less than 1% of the total vote.
In 2020, the 4th Congressional District included parts of Salt Lake City. Following redistricting, however, the Democratic-leaning Salt Lake City is now a part of the 1st Congressional District, giving McAdams a favorable landscape for his return to Congress.
A Democratic primary survey conducted May 27-29 among 402 likely Democratic primary voters showed McAdams leading the field at 37%, with Nate Blouin trailing in second at 27%.
The poll, sponsored by Blouin’s campaign, called for the losing progressive candidates to drop out of the race to consolidate behind one challenger against McAdams. However, Blouin sent out the poll before getting agreement from Mohamed or Farrell.
“Nate went ahead and did that without getting agreement from me, which tells you something about how it was designed,” Farrell said. “A self-funded poll that conveniently produces results favorable to the person who paid for it isn’t a neutral tool for coalition-building.”
Blouin, however, argued that the poll highlighted the need for progressives to consolidate behind one candidate if they hope to defeat McAdams.
“The race comes down to a simple reality,” Blouin said. “McAdams wins this primary if progressives stay split, and he loses if we don’t.”
Blouin said he was willing to apply the same standard to himself.
“If an independent poll showed I wasn’t the leading progressive candidate within the margin of error, I’d withdraw and back the strongest progressive before ballots went out,” Blouin said. “I asked Liban Mohamed and Michael Farrell to make the same pledge.”
However, both Mohamed and Farrell have refused to drop out of the race.
Mohamed stated that the poll is not an accurate depiction of who is currently in the lead. On April 25, Mohamed gained 51.8% of the votes at Utah’s Democratic Party Convention.
“At this point in the race, the only district-wide Democratic contest held was the convention, and our campaign came out on top because we have built one of the broadest coalitions in this race,” Mohamed said.
The poll, Mohamed said, failed to capture his following.
“The outcome of the primary election will be decided by CD1 voters, not by campaign-funded polls based on data that fails to capture the district’s composition,” Mohamed said.
Farrell stated that he understands the logic of the poll, but disagrees with the conclusion.
“Voters deserve the chance to make that choice, not have it made for them by a poll,” Farrell said. “If the argument for consolidation is that I shouldn’t be on the ballot, voters will answer that on June 23.”
Blouin stated he is disappointed by both candidates’ unwillingness to drop out of the race.
“They each have a lot to offer, and I understand completely how hard it is to step back from something you’ve worked this hard for,” Blouin said. “That said, I’m disappointed.”
Ballots for Utah’s primary election were mailed to voters on June 2. The ballots are requested on June 16 by 5 p.m., and Election Day is on June 23.
Editors Note: This article is part of a series on the primary elections occurring in Utah.