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# Update: Super PACs pour $2.8M into Utah's congressional primaries
- URL: https://utahpolitics.news/super-pac-spending-utah-congressional-primary-2026/
- Published: 2026-06-09T21:31:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-09T22:37:36.000Z
- Description: New Dems drop $1M ad buy for Ben McAdams
- Author: Bryan Schott
- Tags: Elections, Campaign Finance

Super PAC cash is flooding Utah’s airwaves ahead of the June 23 primary. In the Democratic 1st Congressional District race, a fresh $1 million ad buy backs Ben McAdams, with another wave from a tech-funded group queued up for next week. In the 2nd District, new ad buys prop up Rep. Blake Moore while taking swings at Karianne Lisonbee.

## CD 1

### Total outside spending: $1,549,746 (as of June 9, 2026)

- **$1,549,746 supporting Ben McAdams**

A super PAC that works to elect moderate Democrats to Congress dropped more than $1 million on ads to boost Ben McAdams in Utah’s 1st Congressional District primary.

The [New Democrat Majority PAC](https://www.newdemocratmajority.com/?ref=utahpolitics.news), the political arm of the [New Democrat Coalition](https://newdemocratcoalition.house.gov/?ref=utahpolitics.news), reported $1,025,000 in independent expenditures on Tuesday for McAdams ads. [Punchbowl News](https://punchbowl.news/archive/6126-am/?ref=utahpolitics.news) first flagged the buy last week.

It won’t be the only big ad spend in the race. Axios’s Andrew Solender reports that Think Big PAC, a tech-aligned group funded in part by OpenAI, Palantir and Andreessen Horowitz, will launch a $450,000 pro-McAdams buy next week, nearly matching McAdams’s own ad spending this cycle.

> Think Big PAC instantly becomes the third largest spender in [#UT01](https://x.com/hashtag/UT01?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=utahpolitics.news) with this ad buy, per [@AdImpact\_Pol](https://x.com/AdImpact%5FPol?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=utahpolitics.news), nearly eclipsing McAdams' own campaign. [https://t.co/lDp878p5e7](https://t.co/lDp878p5e7?ref=utahpolitics.news) [pic.twitter.com/oRJHta5Dh0](https://t.co/oRJHta5Dh0?ref=utahpolitics.news)
> 
> — Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) [June 9, 2026](https://x.com/AndrewSolender/status/2064322509764190438?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=utahpolitics.news)

## CD 2

### Total outside spending: $218,938 (as of June 9, 2026)

- **$104,832 supporting Blake Moore**
- **$109,106 opposing Blake Moore**
- **$5,000 opposing Kariane Lisonbee**

Defending Utah Values, a super PAC led by Owen Fuller, a political ally of Gov. Spencer Cox, reported $10,000 in new spending: $5,000 to support Moore and $5,000 to oppose challenger Karianne Lisonbee.

## CD3

### Total outside spending: $1,150,943 (as of June 9, 2026)

- **$1,130,943 supporting Celeste Maloy**
- **$20,000 opposing Phil Lyman**

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