- Utah’s four Democratic 1st District candidates agreed on issues like housing, immigration reform and protecting the Great Salt Lake, but split sharply on the national debt and working with Republicans.
- Liban Mohamed repeatedly called out Nate Blouin and Ben McAdams during the debate, while rejecting claims about ties to a proposed data center project.
- Candidates differed on fiscal policy, with McAdams and Mohamed supporting efforts to balance the federal budget while Blouin and Farrell argued the national debt is not a pressing concern.
- McAdams defended his 2019 vote to impeach President Trump and described the role of a representative.
Ahead of Utah’s primary elections, scheduled for June 23, the four Democratic candidates running for the state’s 1st Congressional District faced each other for a debate in Salt Lake City on Wednesday evening.
At several points, Utah’s Democratic Party nominee Liban Mohamed took jabs at current state Sen. Nate Blouin and former Utah Rep. Ben McAdams. During several of these moments, Michael Farrell, a tax attorney, could be seen enjoying the sparring from behind his podium.
Utah’s 1st District’s boundaries have changed significantly since the last election cycle. The district now covers the northern two-thirds of Salt Lake County and leans heavily Democratic. All four candidates view the court-selected boundary changes as a chance to turn one of Utah’s four congressional seats in the House of Representatives blue.
Each candidate said they would try to impose restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, lower housing costs, reform the American immigration system and save the Great Salt Lake.
However, they disagreed on the national debt, which recently surpassed $39 trillion, and whether they would ban the construction of new data centers on American soil.
Is the national debt a concern?
Responding to questions from the Deseret News, McAdams and Mohamed said they would work toward a balanced federal budget — a feat which has not been accomplished since 2001.
“I believe the government should live within its means. That’s always been a priority to me,” McAdams said. However, he said he would “never balance the budget on the backs of hard working people” by cutting social welfare.
Mohamed referenced New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent announcement that he’d balanced his city’s budget. “He got it done,” Mohamed said. “We can balance the budget by making sure we are investing in our own dignity and American diplomacy abroad.”
On the other side, Blouin and Farrell told the Deseret News that the national debt is not a large concern.
“I do not believe that it is among the most pressing concerns that we face,” Blouin said. “I think if we are creating debt that creates value for our society — building housing or giving Medicare for all — then the debt becomes less of an issue if we can remain the world’s strongest economy.”
Farrell said, “I reject the premise that the national debt is a concern.” If needed, he said he would vote to cut military spending and increase taxes on wealthy Americans.
What is the single biggest challenge facing Utahns in the 1st District?
According to Blouin, the single biggest challenge facing Utahns in Salt Lake County is the “system that is rigged against working people.”
He promised to “stand up” to the fossil fuel industry, utility companies, Big Tech and landlords, then referenced his experience speaking out about those issues as a state senator.
McAdams said he believes his voters care most about affordable healthcare and saving the Great Salt Lake.
Farrell said the biggest challenge was “how expensive everything is.” He then promised to make healthcare, housing and education affordable.
Mohamed referenced his parents’ emigration from Somalia to Utah. “What we need to do is abolish ICE and build an immigration system rooted in our shared humanity,” he said. “We need to have a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants. We need to make sure that each and every person who steps on the land of the United States of America has rights, legal representation and due process.”
Two candidates defend their records in office
Mohamed challenged Blouin’s track record in state office. Blouin “has never passed a bill in the history of his tenure,” Mohamed said, then he promised to get legislation passed into law if elected as a representative.
When given time to rebut, Blouin said, “During my time in the Legislature, I have done everything I can to move the needle. That has meant going up against Republicans and Democrats alike.”
“I’m having a hard time understanding how folks who are watching this debate will trust someone like Mohamed, who actually worked in the past for the same lobbying firm that is pushing Kevin O’Leary’s data center into our backyard.”
Mohamed responded, “That’s false.”
At several points, McAdams mentioned his 2019 vote to impeach President Donald Trump from office.
“As a representative, my job is to represent. That’s going to mean listening to people I agree with and listening to people I don’t agree with. This district is 25% Democrat, but it’s 35% Republican by registration, and the rest are independents and unaffiliated. As a representative, everybody will have my ear, and everyone will have an open door,” he said.
When asked by the Deseret News what he would do if a majority of his district opposed impeaching Trump, McAdams said, “There are times when I am expected to study the facts and vote my conscience.”
In 2019, “I looked at the evidence, and I held town hall meetings, I listened to my constituents, and many of them did not support a vote to impeach, and I decided that that was the right thing to do,” he said.
Which candidates are willing to work across the aisle?
McAdams and Farrell expressed the most willingness to work across the aisle with Republicans to pass legislation.
“If Zohran (Mamdani) can work with Donald Trump, then I can work with him too,” McAdams said. He said he hopes to work with the president to expand efforts to increase the Great Salt Lake’s water levels. The Interior Department has set aside $1 billion for the lake in its proposed 2027 fiscal year budget.
Farrell added, “I would happily work with Donald Trump. We could call it the Great Trump Lake if we save it. I don’t care. If we lose it, the city is done. It is an existential crisis. It is a nuclear bomb.”
After Blouin praised Rep. Thomas Massie, R-K. Y., for crossing the aisle to help pass Democratic legislation, the Deseret News asked if he would be willing to help Republicans pass any legislation.
The state senator responded, “Off the top of my head, I am not thinking of any. I would see some bipartisan areas like housing … as far as Republican priorities, no, I don’t think there’s much there.”
1st District Republican Party nominee Riley Owen does not have a primary opponent, so he will appear on the general ballot in November against the winner of the Democratic primary.
