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⏰ Tick Tock
43 days - Candidate filing opens for the 2026 midterm elections (1/2/2026)
49 days - Last day for candidates to file for the 2026 midterm elections. (1/9/2026)
61 days - Start of the 2026 Utah Legislature (1/20/2026).
116 days - Neighborhood caucus night. (3/17/2026)
155 days - Utah Democratic Party's state nominating convention (4/25/2026)
214 days - Utah's 2026 primary election (6/23/2026)
348 days - 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
1,083 days - 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028)
📰 Above the fold
With apologies to Beyoncé: every Democrat, get in line—to the left.
Utah is about to see something it hasn’t in decades: a wide‑open congressional race fought to the left of the perceived frontrunner.
In Utah’s newly drawn 1st Congressional District, former Congressman Ben McAdams has to be considered the early favorite, given his name recognition and ability to raise money.
McAdams was part of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democratic centrists in Congress, during his single term in Washington.
That record makes him hard to attack from the center or right within a Democratic primary.
Still, McAdams is far from an electoral lock. A growing roster of Democrats is jumping in the race, lured by the unexpected creation of a Democratic‑leaning seat in ruby‑red Utah—and there’s plenty of room to his left.
Former Utah state Senator Derek Kitchen officially entered the race on Thursday. He joins state Sen. Kathleen Riebe, who announced her candidacy the day before McAdams.
Others who are considering running include:
State Sen. Nate Blouin, who would have to give up his legislative seat to run.
Caroline Gleich, who was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024.
Misty Snow, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016.
Eva Lopez Chavez, who represents District 4 on the Salt Lake City Council.
McAdams’ centrist political record helped him win over independent voters and convince Republicans to cross over and mark his name at the ballot box. Now, it opens him up to attacks for not hewing close enough to Democratic orthodoxy.
Some Democrats remain angry over McAdams’s role in the party’s decision not to field a U.S. Senate nominee, clearing the way for independent Evan McMullin to face Republican Mike Lee one-on-one. Lee won by about 10.5%, the closest U.S. Senate race in Utah in 30 years—but the move still rankles parts of the Democratic base.
When he first ran for Congress in 2018, McAdams vowed on the campaign trail that he would not cast a vote for Nancy Pelosi to become House Speaker. That’s the kind of practical campaign promise a Democrat hoping to win an R+13 district makes. It’s also the kind of position that creates a vulnerability among base voters in a solidly Democratic seat.
All of this sets the stage for a bruising nomination fight.
Expect this to be the stiffest electoral challenge for McAdams since Democratic delegates chose him over three other candidates to replace Scott McCoy in the Utah State Senate in 2009.
In 2012, McAdams won the Salt Lake County Mayor nomination over Ross Romero at the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention. He avoided having that race go to a primary after a last-minute rule change that sent the contest to a second round of voting where McAdams won.
In 2018, McAdams was one of five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in Utah’s 4th Congressional District. McAdams received 72% of the delegate vote, avoiding a primary.
In 2020, McAdams easily defeated challenger Daniel Beckstrand at the Democratic convention to secure a second-straight nomination.
2026 promises to be uncharted territory in Utah politics. Democrats typically have one or maybe two candidates who jump into a statewide or congressional race, who essentially become political cannon fodder in the face of an overwhelming Republican advantage.
It’s usually Republicans who have crowded, competitive primaries. Next year, Democrats might.