House - UT 4th - Ben McAdams

Democrat elected in 2018 in central Utah including Salt Lake City suburbs

Ben McAdams, 45 and a seventh-generation Utahn, served two terms as Mayor of Salt Lake City before entering Congress. As mayor, he brought Republicans and Democrats together to get things done like addressing homelessness, and forming partnerships with the private sector to create jobs and improve education — all while managing a balanced budget.

In the 2018 race for this House seat, Ben defeated two-term Republican incumbent Mia Love who voted in line with President Trump over 96% of the time. Ben’s race was one of the closest in the country: he won by 694 votes. His district is one of the most Republican leaning districts electing a Democrat to Congress (only 15-20% Democratic). Trump won this district in 2016 by 7%.

Ben, who graduated with honors from Columbia Law School, is married with 4 children. Before becoming Salt Lake City’s mayor, he served in the Utah State Senate. While there, he proposed a bill against workplace discrimination for gays and lesbians which was rejected.

Ben serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. His priorities in Congress include:

Fixing a dysfunctional Congress: Ben wants to work across the aisle to solve problems like homelessness and criminal justice reform.
Health care: Ben prefers to fix the Affordable Care Act rather than scrap it.
Budget and taxes: Ben believes that government should be fiscally responsible and accountable.
Education: Ben is working for a quality education for every child.
Social Security and Medicare: Ben is part of bipartisan effort to keep these programs from running out of money.

Ben’s far-right Republican opponent, conservative political commentator and frequent Fox News guest Burgess Owens, has made his effusive support for Trump the cornerstone of his candidacy. When asked how to bridge the divide between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, Owens said it can’t be done because Democrats are “Marxists” and “we’re dealing with people who hate our country.” He opposes wearing masks during the pandemic because of “constitutional rights”. Owens, an African-American, criticizes the Black Lives Matter movement and athletes taking a knee in support. He attacked Colin Kaepernick as an example of “our greatest enemy”, saying in an interview with Breitbart News that Kaepernick pushes “Marxist” and “socialist” anti-American ideals. He has proposed disbanding the Department of Education, and wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He wants to privatize and cut back Social Security and Medicare. He appeared on an internet program linked to QAnon, the conspiracy theory that Trump is at odds with a child sex ring involving powerful people embedded in the deep state. Owens tweeted congratulations to Lauren Boebert, a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theories, when she won a primary in Colorado. When the Trump Administration in May 2020 proposed restarting nuclear testing, Owens voiced his support for the plan – despite concern from Utahns who are still dealing with the health consequences from nuclear testing upwind in Nevada decades ago.

Ben has the highest approval rating of any of Utah’s members of the U.S. House, according to a June 2020 survey. But this district is traditionally Republican and he is rated one of the most vulnerable House Democrats. Ben is in for a tough fight again and needs our support.