Utah Democrats Clash Over 24-Point Blue House Seat as Progressives Target Ben McAdams
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
Utah Democrats Clash Over 24-Point Blue House Seat as Progressives Target Ben McAdams
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
Summary
Tuesday’s Utah Democratic primary has become a test of party identity, with progressives attacking former Rep. Ben McAdams over his past backing of abortion restrictions.
Ben McAdams still enters with an edge after millions of dollars in outside support from a super PAC tied to the AI industry and from the centrist group New Democrat Majority.
The fight is unusually high-stakes in Utah because court-ordered redistricting created a Salt Lake City seat Democrats are favored to win, potentially sending the state’s first House Democrat to Washington since 2018.
That new district leans sharply left — Kamala Harris would have carried it by 24 points in 2024 — forcing McAdams, once seen as among the House’s most conservative Democrats, to distance himself from earlier positions.