Is Ben McAdams angling to get his old job back? The former Democratic congressman who lost to Republican Burgess Owens by a razor-thin margin in 2020 appears to be preparing for a comeback bid—this time on potentially friendlier turf.
McAdams filed an updated statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday morning, signaling a potential run in what's currently Utah's 4th Congressional District. But thanks to court-ordered redistricting, McAdams might not even end up running in the 4th.
Sources close to McAdams say he’s expected to run, but it’s unclear when an official announcement could come. McAdams could not be reached for comment.
A new or updated statement of candidacy is not the same thing as launching a full-fledged campaign, but it is required for a candidate or potential candidate to raise funds during the current election cycle.
The current redistricting chaos could work in McAdams’ favor. A Utah District Court threw out the state’s current congressional map, and the proposed alternatives create dramatically different political landscapes:
- Under the “Option C” map approved by Utah lawmakers, he would live in the 3rd District, which would have gone for Republican Donald Trump in 2024 by 2.28% and just 0.5% in the 2020 election.
- McAdams lives in the 1st District, centered in Salt Lake County under Map #1 proposed by the plaintiffs in the case. That seat would have gone for Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris by more than 20 points in 2020 and 2024.
- The second map proposal from the plaintiffs puts McAdams in the 2nd District, which would have gone for Biden-Harris by at least 13 points in the last two presidential elections.
Raising money should not be a problem for McAdams. During his first run for Congress in 2018, McAdams’ campaign raised more than $3.3 million. Two years later, against Owens, McAdams pulled in more than $5.6 million.
He also does not appear to have much financial ground to make up against Owens. According to the latest financial disclosures from the Federal Election Commission, Owens has a little more than $167,000 in the bank.
