Ben McAdams launches campaign with affordability focus
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Then-Rep. Ben McAdams speaking in early 2020. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images
Former Rep. Ben McAdams, the last Democrat to represent Utah in Congress, is officially running again, launching a campaign Thursday centered on affordability in one of the state's new districts.
State of play: The announcement comes three days after Judge Dianna Gibson rejected Republican-drawn maps and adopted congressional boundaries creating a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterms.
What they're saying: "I'm tired of leaders in D.C. and Trump talking about 'affordability' like it's some slogan," McAdams said in a 1-minute campaign video for Utah's 1st District released Thursday. "We need wages that can actually buy groceries. We need homes that families can afford."
The big picture: Democrats are increasingly shifting the focus of their platforms from culture war issues to the cost of living in an effort to win voters.
Catch up quick: McAdams, a former state senator and Salt Lake County mayor, narrowly defeated Republican Rep. Mia Love in 2018 by about 700 votes.
- He was unseated in 2020 by former NFL player and GOP challenger Burgess Owens after the Republican-controlled state Legislature drew maps favoring their political party.
Zoom out: Educator and state Sen. Kathleen Riebe (D-Cottonwood Heights) announced her candidacy on Wednesday, campaigning on lowering the cost of living and health care.
- State Sen. Nate Blouin (D-Salt Lake City) told Axios on Wednesday that he's "seriously" considering entering the race.
Flashback: In Congress, McAdams sometimes bucked his own party, voting against Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as House speaker in 2019 and against a pandemic relief bill in 2020.
- McAdams and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson pushed the Utah Democratic Party to support independent Evan McMullin, an anti-Trump conservative, over Democrat Kael Weston in the 2022 U.S. Senate race, a move that drew pushback from members of the party.
- McAdams told the Salt Lake Tribune that McMullin "was simply a better candidate" to defeat GOP incumbent Mike Lee in the deeply red state.
As county mayor, McAdams posed as a homeless person for three days, witnessing blatant drug use and violence on the streets and in a shelter, in an effort to learn about the homeless system, the Deseret News reported.
- McAdams kept the ordeal private for months, seeking to avoid accusations of a "publicity stunt," per the News.