“How excited are we that we get to send a Democrat to Congress this November?” shouted Will Terry to a Democratic caucus at West High School on Tuesday evening. Democratic Party members from Salt Lake City erupted in applause.
Terry continued, “Not just any Democrat. This is a D+24 district. We get to send a true progressive to Washington.” He’d come on behalf of Salt Lake City Council member Eva Lopez, who is running for Utah’s newest Democratic-leaning district.
It was caucus night across Utah on Tuesday, as Republicans and Democrats gathered at sites across the state. A new congressional map was chosen by a judge following a redistricting battle between the state Legislature and several special interest groups, making this year’s caucuses more interesting than they typically would be.
Three of Utah’s four Republican incumbents are running in brand new districts, while Rep. Burgess Owens is retiring after finishing out his third term.
Utah’s new 1st Congressional District is an open seat. It leans heavily Democratic, leading to a surge in interest among Democratic candidates.
As of mid-March, seven Democrats still have their hat in the ring for the district.
At West High School in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, several candidates turned up to speak to caucus-goers, including Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City; Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights; and Liban Mohamed, a registered lobbyist in the state.
The district covers the northern two-thirds of Salt Lake County, and in 2024, presidential candidate Kamala Harris beat now-President Trump by 23 points in the area.
As District 22’s caucus organizers played “Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” over the cafeteria’s speakers, Salt Lake City residents expressed varying political concerns to the Deseret News.
What do Salt Lake City caucus-goers care about?
Kate Flynn told the Deseret News her biggest policy concern is the environment.
She hopes whoever wins CD1 will create tighter regulations on how energy producers dispose of nuclear waste. “Right now, I’m not convinced it’s not going to end up in the Colorado River,” she said. Currently Utah has no operating nuclear power plants. However, a microreactor is scheduled to turn on in Emery County this Fourth of July.
Flynn shared her concern for the state’s water usage, the receding shores of the Great Salt Lake and the lowering levels of the Colorado River.
When asked what it would take to vote for a Republican in CD1, she said, “If someone came out as an environmental steward,” she might possibly think about it.
One retired nurse practitioner told the Deseret News she’s a registered Democrat because she believes in “being governed by law, not personality. I believe in principles above personalities.”
When asked what her political beliefs would have been 15 years ago, she replied, “There are some people who are not capable of caring for themselves,” so the government should help them.
One couple, Emily Depaula and Adam Fine, told the Deseret News it was their first time coming to a caucus event.
Fine said his frustration with ICE deportations and the war in Iran prompted him to come to the event. “Not having any outlet is somewhat demoralizing, so we’ve been looking for different ways to get involved in our small way in the community,” he said.
What did the candidates promise Salt Lake City residents?
State Sen. Nate Blouin announced his campaign for the 1st District House seat in early December 2025.
He told the caucus-goers at West High, “I am committed to abolishing ICE, ending genocide in Gaza and ...” Approving shouts from the crowd drowned out his third commitment. “We’re going to fight for affordable housing, for organized labor, for Medicare for all, which I am totally bought in on,” he said.
Blouin referenced his endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and added, “We’re putting together a real campaign that can win this thing in June in the primary. No one else can say that.”
Fellow state Sen. Kathleen Riebe echoed similar confidence. She focused her message on affordability.
“I’m going to flip CD1, fill that capacity and start turning Utah purple. We need a purple Utah,” she said.
Liban Mohamed also spoke, referencing campaign promises of universal Medicare and protecting Utah’s environment, including the Great Salt Lake.
Former Utah Rep. Ben McAdams and candidate Michael Farrell were not present.
The Republicans running in the 1st District include Riley Owen, Dave Robinson, Stone Fonua and Jonathan Lopez.
