The tone of Utah’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary just grew sharper, with more to come before the state convention on April 25.
At Saturday’s Salt Lake Democratic convention, former Congressman Ben McAdams and state Sen. Nate Blouin, the perceived frontrunners in the race, traded shots in front of delegates.
12 days - Utah State Republican and Democratic State Party nominating conventions (4/25/2026)
71 days - Utah's 2026 primary election (6/23/2026)
204 days - 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
939 days - 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028)
Without mentioning him, McAdams knocked Blouin’s Senate tenure, saying he alienated Republicans and passed nothing in four years.
“Being progressive has to mean making progress. You can believe every right thing. You can give every right speech, and you can still go to Washington and not change a damn thing,” McAdams said.
“I didn’t go to Congress to have a job, I went to Congress to do the job.”
Blouin hit back, blasting McAdams for a 2020 vote against a Democratic-sponsored resolution to limit then-President Donald Trump’s ability to unilaterally take military action against Iran.
“We can’t settle for a candidate that voted to give Trump more power to wage war against Iran. Our new district went to Democrats by 24 points in 2024. That’s a wider margin than Kamala Harris won in the state of Massachusetts,” Blouin said.
The crossfire isn’t surprising. Both have already qualified for the June primary via the signature path and lead the Democratic field, according to recent polling.
That wasn’t the only verbal fusillade from the stage on Saturday. State Sen. Kathleen Riebe dropped out and endorsed McAdams, taking a swipe at Blouin’s style on her way out.
“Tweeting is not leading, and listening is what we need right now,” Riebe said.
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be a heavy favorite in November—the non-partisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “Solid Democrat” with a partisan voting index of D+12. With such high stakes, expect the contrasts to sharpen before the June primary.
Blouin says he won’t let up.
“As we get closer to when decisions get made, I’m not going to shy away from talking about the voting record of Ben McAdams,” Blouin said. “We’re gonna talk about those things ‘cause those are votes that he took.”
McAdams frames the contest as a choice between speeches and results.
“For me, this race comes down to we need a leader who can actually move the needle, who can get stuff done,” McAdams said. “This race is going to come down to that.”
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