# Ben McAdams **Ben McAdams** is a Utah Democrat who won the state's newly drawn **1st Congressional District** on November 3, 2026, the Associated Press projected, defeating Republican Riley Owen, who conceded. The Salt Lake County-based seat was created by the congressional map a state judge adopted after ruling that the legislature's map broke Utah's anti-gerrymandering rules. McAdams, a former state senator and Salt Lake County mayor, held a U.S. House seat for one term after winning it in 2018 and losing it in 2020; his win returns him to Congress after six years and gives Utah a Democrat in its House delegation again. > [!success] Election result > The Associated Press projected on November 3, 2026 that McAdams won, a Democratic pickup. Vote totals are unofficial until Utah certifies the result. Full race context: [[UT-01-2026]]. Live coverage: [[2026 Midterms Live - Election Results War Room]]. ## Background - **Early offices.** He served in the Utah State Senate and then as mayor of Salt Lake County (Salt Lake Tribune, Roll Call, KUTV). He was county mayor when he entered the 2018 congressional race (Salt Lake Tribune, 2017). KUTV lists his terms as state senator from 2008 to 2012 and county mayor from 2013 to 2019. - **First term in Congress.** In 2018 he unseated Republican Rep. Mia Love in Utah's 4th Congressional District by 694 votes (Roll Call, KUER). He served one term, 2019 to 2021, as the only Democrat in Utah's congressional delegation (KUTV, KUER). - **Record.** Roll Call reported that he was a member of the centrist [[Blue Dog Coalition]] and frequently broke with his party on partisan votes. He voted to impeach President [[Donald Trump]] in 2019, a vote he pointed to during the 2026 primary as proof he would cast hard votes (Salt Lake Tribune); see [[Trump First Impeachment]]. - **2020 loss.** He lost re-election in 2020 to Republican Burgess Owens by about one percentage point and conceded on November 16, 2020 (Salt Lake Tribune, KUTV, KUER, Deseret News). ## The 2026 campaign - **The new district.** Third District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled in 2025 that Utah's congressional map was illegally gerrymandered and, after lawmakers failed to draw a compliant replacement, adopted a map submitted by the plaintiffs, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The new map created a Democratic-leaning district centered on Salt Lake County (KUTV, Roll Call, KSL). The standards came from the anti-gerrymandering measure Utah voters approved in 2018 (Deseret News). See [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]]. - **Launch.** He announced his comeback bid on November 13, 2025, days after the map was chosen (Roll Call, KUTV). "Too many Utah families are working harder than ever but not making ends meet," he said (Roll Call, KUTV). He told the Salt Lake Tribune he had considered his political career over after 2020, and that the gerrymandering ruling and rising prices brought him back. - **Primary.** He fended off several progressive challengers in the summer Democratic primary (KSL, Salt Lake Tribune); the Tribune reported he won with 52 percent over state Sen. Nate Blouin, Liban Mohamed and Michael Farrell, who argued he was not progressive enough. - **Message.** He campaigned on affordability and the cost of living (KSL, Deseret News, KUTV). - **His opponent.** Owen, 28 (Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune), was running in his first campaign for public office (KSL). KSL reported that he worked in the White House during Trump's first term; the Salt Lake Tribune described him as a naval reserve intelligence officer who moved to Utah the year before and campaigned as a Gen Z candidate focused on affordability. The Tribune reported that McAdams raised more than $2.8 million to Owen's roughly $164,000. - **Election night.** McAdams led with about 71 to 72 percent of the vote to Owen's roughly 25 percent in the first returns (KSL, Deseret News). "In the district that you fought to create, the people of Salt Lake County picked their own representative," he told supporters, adding, "To everyone in this district who did not vote for me, I will work for you, too" (KSL). The Salt Lake Tribune reported that, once sworn in, he would be only the third Utah House member to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first in more than 50 years. ## Connections - [[UT-01-2026]] — the race he won - [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] — how Utah's court-ordered map came about - [[Blue Dog Coalition]] — the centrist House Democratic caucus he belonged to in his first term - [[Trump First Impeachment]] — he voted to impeach in 2019 - [[Donald Trump]] — his opponent worked in Trump's first White House - [[2026 House Races Hub]] — every competitive House race - [[2026 Midterms Live - Election Results War Room]] — election-night coverage ## Sources - [Associated Press — UT-01 race call](https://apnews.com/live/midterm-election-2026#000001a1-a506-d4c2-aded-ffc603a90000) - [KSL — Ben McAdams caps off political comeback, declares victory in Utah's 1st District](https://www.ksl.com/article/51643134/ben-mcadams-caps-off-political-comeback-declares-victory-in-utahs-1st-district) - [Salt Lake Tribune — Utah will again have a Democrat in Congress as McAdams cruises to victory](https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/11/03/mcadams-favored-win-congressional/) - [Deseret News — Utah voters elect Democrat to Congress under new map](https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/11/03/utah-voters-elect-democrat-to-congress-under-new-map/) - [The Hill — Democrat Ben McAdams projected to win Utah's 1st Congressional District](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6146209-mcadams-wins-utah-house-race/) - [Roll Call — Former Rep. Ben McAdams launches comeback bid in Utah](https://rollcall.com/2025/11/13/ben-mcadams-utah-democrat-election-midterms/) - [KUTV — Former Utah Congressman Ben McAdams announces District 1 bid in 2026 midterm](https://kutv.com/news/politics/former-utah-congressman-ben-mcadams-announces-bid-for-re-election-in-2026-midterm) - [KUER — Republican Burgess Owens wins Utah's 4th Congressional District, beating one-term Rep. Ben McAdams](https://www.kuer.org/politics-government/2020-11-16/republican-burgess-owens-wins-utahs-4th-congressional-district-beating-one-term-rep-ben-mcadams) - [Deseret News — Rep. Ben McAdams is conceding to Burgess Owens in close 4th District race](https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/11/16/21569764/rep-ben-mcadams-is-conceding-to-burgess-owens-in-close-4th-district-race) - [Salt Lake Tribune — Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams jumps into U.S. House race against Rep. Mia Love](https://sltrib.com/news/politics/2017/10/19/salt-lake-county-mayor-ben-mcadams-jumps-into-us-house-race-against-rep-mia-love)