The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, the campaign arm of the largest progressive group in Congress, has endorsed state Sen. Nate Blouin in the Democratic primary for Utah’s newly redrawn 1st District.
The political action committee announced its support for Blouin on Thursday, framing the state senator as the best choice based on his voting record in the Utah state Legislature on issues championed by the left-leaning group. The endorsement gives Blouin a national boost as he seeks to flip one of Utah’s red seats in the House of Representatives, a race that has garnered national attention in recent months.
“I think this is a clear signal that our campaign has really developed a lot of trust with folks in Congress now who have paid attention to what we’re doing,” Blouin told the Deseret News in an interview. “I think it means that, you know, we are the only campaign in the progressive lane that has a serious shot to take on the establishment in this race, and they understand that.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC aims to elect progressive lawmakers to Congress and has endorsed nearly a dozen candidates in the 2026 midterm elections so far, according to its website. The group — while different from the official caucus on Capitol Hill, as campaign and official duties must be kept separate under campaign finance laws — consists of some of the most prominent progressive lawmakers in Congress, including the co-chairs Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Greg Casar of Texas, and Maxwell Frost of Florida.
“In the Utah State Senate, Nate advocated for clean energy and better air quality, sponsored legislation to restore the Great Salt Lake and passed legislation to support grid-enhancing technologies,” the trio said in a joint statement. “In Congress, Nate will be committed to passing the Green New Deal, expanding Social Security, championing Medicare for All and taking on corporate monopolies. We are proud to support his campaign and look forward to electing a progressive champion in Utah.”
Jayapal also endorsed Blouin separately as an individual lawmaker.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC lauds a record of electing a majority of the candidates it endorsed before the primary election, and the group has raised over $13 million over the last three election cycles.
The endorsement solidifies Blouin as a strong progressive candidate in the race, a reputation the state senator has sought to push since announcing his campaign last year.
“I don’t know that there’s much of a lane for someone in the moderate wing right now,” Blouin said. “People unanimously (have) said they want a progressive fighter. And that is exactly my brand. I don’t have to move away from previous stances to adopt that. That’s who I am, that’s what I’m going to continue to be. And I’m the only candidate in this race that can say that.”
The race for Utah’s newly redrawn 1st District is still an open question as legal battles over the state’s congressional map continue.
So far, former Rep. Ben McAdams is the only candidate to qualify for the primary ballot after receiving the minimum number of signatures required last week. McAdams has also led the field in fundraising so far, with Blouin trailing behind in second.
The district, if upheld, would heavily favor the Democratic candidate and is considered “solid Democratic,” according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The seat would be entirely within Salt Lake County and one that Kamala Harris would have won by 24 percentage points in the 2024 election.