Overview
- Ben McAdams opened a wide lead in early unofficial returns and declared victory over Republican Riley Owen after winning roughly 72% to 25% of the vote, a margin that projects him to take the seat when Congress convenes in January.
- The contest was reshaped by a 2025 ruling from Utah’s Third District Court, in which Judge Dianna Gibson adopted a plaintiffs’ map that concentrated Salt Lake County into a 1st District that favors Democrats by as much as 17 percentage points.
- McAdams raised about $2.8 million across the campaign while Owen raised roughly $164,000, a funding gap that helped McAdams dominate advertising and outreach in the new district.
- Riley Owen is a 28-year-old naval reserve intelligence officer and recent Utah transplant who ran as a young outsider focused on affordability but was outspent and lacked the local name recognition McAdams had.
- McAdams’s win follows a contested Democratic primary in which he faced criticism for not being progressive but prevailed with 52% of the vote, and his return will be one of the few nonconsecutive terms by a Utah House member while contributing to Democrats regaining control of the U.S. House.