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Democrat

Ben McAdams

Democrat

Ben McAdams

UT-01 Democratic nominee?

$61.9K

JUN 30, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleFormer U.S. Representative

PartyDemocratic

Political ideologyModerate Democrat

Age51 years old (Dec 5, 1974)

GenderMale

LocationUtah

BackgroundAttorney

EducationUniversity of Utah (B.A., 2000)

Notable personal detailsBen McAdams is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Utah. He served as Mayor of Salt Lake County from 2013 to 2019 and represented Utah’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2019 to 2021. He previously served in the Utah State Senate and worked in Salt Lake City government. He earned a B.A. from the University of Utah and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

SourcesShow

history.house.gov en.wikipedia.org leadership.test.utah.edu x.com apnews.com axios.com deseret.com ballotready.org twitter.com benmcdade.com idcrawl.com kuer.org washingtonpost.com linktr.ee es.wikipedia.org vote.utah.gov arxiv.org sltrib.com ontheissues.org utahpolicy.com cityweekly.net ksl.com justfacts.votesmart.org lcv.org benmcadamsutah.com politico.com heraldextra.com afge.org utahpolitics.news abc4.com npr.org notus.org kutv.com utahnewsdispatch.com capitolnewsillinois.com almanacofamericanpolitics.substack.com chosun.com msn.com localcandidates.org predictionedge.com instagram.com facebook.com fec.gov congress.gov fr.wikipedia.org zh.wikipedia.org bioguideretro.congress.gov developer.ballotpedia.org legislation.ballotpedia.org bioguide.congress.gov clerk.house.gov

Positions

LiberalConservative

Economy & Taxes

Ben McAdams has criticized the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as favoring the wealthy and increasing federal debt while also supporting tax-code modernization and measures to reduce the federal deficit (including a Balanced Budget Amendment). As Salt Lake County mayor he frequently sought to fund priorities within existing revenues and often framed budgets as avoiding tax hikes, though some local tax increases (e.g., property/sales-related measures) occurred during his tenure.

Healthcare

Supports protecting and improving the Affordable Care Act and expanding access through targeted reforms (for example reinsurance and bipartisan cost-lowering measures) but does not support a Medicare-for-All single-payer plan. Emphasizes reducing drug and treatment costs and pragmatic, bipartisan approaches to increase coverage and access.

Immigration & Border

Supports comprehensive immigration reform that combines secured borders with expanded legal pathways, a permanent solution for DACA/Dreamers, and increased legal immigration; accepts enforcement measures while emphasizing pathways to residency or citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

Ben McAdams has previously described himself as personally opposed to abortion except in cases such as rape, incest, or threat to the mother’s life, but he supports restoring and codifying a woman’s federal right to choose after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. His record as a state senator shows votes against some restrictive abortion bills while in Congress he signaled support for measures to protect access. Overall his public statements and recent campaign comments favor protecting abortion access with some acknowledged personal limits.

Climate & Energy

Supports action to address climate change while favoring a balanced national energy portfolio that includes renewables alongside traditional fuels. Has supported remaining in the Paris Agreement, backed federal funding for clean transit (electric buses, transit projects) and voted for climate-related protections, but has said he does not support the Green New Deal and prefers public–private, market-friendly approaches.

Public Safety & Guns

Supports universal/background checks and is open to red-flag laws and some limits (e.g., high-capacity magazines) depending on legislative details, while describing himself as a gun owner who supports the Second Amendment. Has voted for expanded background-check legislation but opposed extending additional waiting-period requirements.

News

AINews Summary

Last updatedJul 15, 2026

Ben McAdams has won the Democratic primary in Utah’s newly redrawn 1st Congressional District and will face Republican Riley Owen in the November general election. The district is seen as more favorable to Democrats than much of Utah, making the race one of the state’s most closely watched House contests. McAdams also picked up a key endorsement when state Sen. Kathleen Riebe suspended her campaign and backed him. He had led fundraising in the primary field and emerged from a competitive race against other Democratic challengers.

history.house.gov+50

Articles

SLSalt Lake City Deseret News1 month ago