Ben McAdams seeks Utah 1st Congressional District seat

Ben McAdams, a Democrat, is running for U.S. House of Representatives in Utah's 1st Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. Other candidates in the race are Riley Owen (Republican), Elias Henry Montgomery (Independent) and Jesse West (Libertarian).

Asked why he is running, McAdams said in our candidate questionnaire: "I'm running because the ladder I climbed is being pulled up behind me. My mom raised six kids on a teacher's salary in West Bountiful. Some months the power got shut off, and I started working at 11 to help. I got through Weber State, the U, and law school on Pell Grants, student loans, and working multiple jobs at once."

He added: "Today, a family in Salt Lake County needs about $187,000 a year to qualify for the median home. Health premiums doubled for families whose lives didn't change at all. Those costs came from choices made in Washington, and Utah families are picking up the tab."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat

Residence: McAdams said in our questionnaire: "My wife, Julie, and I live in Salt Lake City with our four kids. They've gone through public schools here, and today we have kids in high school and college."

Born: Dec. 5, 1974, in West Bountiful, Utah, according to Wikipedia.

Education: McAdams said in our questionnaire: "Weber State University, Associate's Degree (Sept.–Dec. 1993 and Jan.–April 1996) … University of Utah, Bachelor's Degree, January 1997–May 2000 … Columbia Law School, Juris Doctor (J.D.), August 2000–May 2003."

Experience and public service

McAdams listed his previous elected offices in our questionnaire: "U.S. House of Representatives, Utah's 4th Congressional District, 2019–2021 … Salt Lake County Mayor, 2013–2019 (elected 2012, re-elected 2016) … Utah State Senate, 2009–2013 (appointed 2009, elected 2010)."

He also described his work history: "Since leaving Congress, I have worked to help municipal governments across the country operate more efficiently … As a Senior Fellow at the Sorenson Impact Center and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, I have worked with cities and states on ways to build homes families can afford."

On the issues

Top priority: McAdams identified "the high cost of living" as the single most important issue. He said in our questionnaire: "I've pledged that my first three bills will go after those costs. On housing, I'll introduce or support legislation that gives renters relief now, opens a path to ownership for first-time buyers on an average salary, and limits hedge funds buying single-family homes. I'm backing the Build Hubs Act to build homes near transit with money already on the books. On health care, I'll restore the ACA premium tax credits and the Medicaid and SNAP funding Congress cut. On corruption, I'll sign onto the bill banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks."

Health care: McAdams said: "Congress should start by restoring what it cut. Bring back the ACA premium tax credits and reverse last year's Medicaid and SNAP cuts. A Utah family of four went from paying $99 a month for coverage to $415." He also said in our questionnaire: "Expand Medicare drug price negotiation to more drugs, and cap insulin at $35 for everyone, including people with private insurance."

Environment and public lands: McAdams said: "I will fight to protect Utah's public lands, defend Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, restore the Great Salt Lake, advance lasting protections for the Wasatch, and work to pass America's Red Rock Wilderness Act and the Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act."

Immigration: McAdams said: "Congress should rebuild the system. That means securing the border, creating legal pathways that don't take decades, giving every asylum seeker a real hearing, granting Dreamers permanent status, and offering an earned path to citizenship for long-term immigrants who work and pay taxes here."