Liban Mohamed wins District 1 nomination vote, as Utah Democrats seek to ride 'blue tsunami'

SANDY — Liban Mohamed upset former congressman Ben McAdams in a ranked-choice vote election Saturday to secure the Democratic nomination in Utah's highly publicized first congressional race.

"We needed this moment to send a signal of our viability," said Mohamed, a policy analyst, after celebrating the results, which were delivered Saturday evening. "I believe that was the only thing that was stopping us."

However, he and McAdams will face each other in a primary later this year, along with two other candidates.

While a sense of renewed energy flowed through the auditorium of Jordan High School on Saturday, as Democratic delegates met to nominate candidates for various state and federal offices, all eyes seemed to fall on the crowded first congressional race. The party gained an upper hand in the district following new boundaries that make it cover mostly Democratic-heavy Salt Lake County.

Mohamed drew a large roar from the boisterous crowd as he pitched his platform, which includes greater healthcare funding and protecting the shrinking Great Salt Lake. He snagged 22% of the first-round vote, but won after a process of candidate eliminations.

Although McAdams fell short in the final round of voting, he walked away from the event feeling confident after snagging 41% of the initial vote — the highest by nearly 20 percentage points. He qualified for the primary after receiving over 7,000 signatures from registered voters before the event.

"We're very happy with the results," he said. "We made the case that I have a track record of actually delivering results, and I think it resonated with the delegates."

Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Millcreek, and Michael Farrell each gathered enough signatures before Saturday to also qualify for the primary ballot, making Saturday's results somewhat anticlimactic. All four will battle again during the state's June 23 primary.

All six people vying for the nomination received mostly positive responses from the crowd, but there were some dramatic moments. McAdams was disrupted by a heckler calling him a liar in apparent reference to previous statements and actions tied to Gaza. The heckler was escorted out of the room before he resumed speaking.

KSL

Blouin and Salt Lake City Councilwoman Eva Lopez Chavez received some boos from the crowd, mixed with cheers, following recent controversies. Derogatory remarks about crude jokes that Blouin previously made online were recently made public, which he acknowledged at the beginning of his speech.

"Reckoning with your past mistakes is an important part of life. It hurts," he said, calling the experience "humbling." "It can make you feel physically ill, but it also makes you stronger. And today, I am stronger. ... That's why I'm here."

KSL spoke with five women, including Rep. Hoang Nguyen, D-Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake City Councilwoman Victoria Petro, who said they were harassed, assaulted, or made uncomfortable by comments or actions of Lopez. She has denied any wrongdoing and sidestepped the situation, sticking to a message of government accountability, seeking the protection of public lands, and combating Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is eyeing a facility in Salt Lake City.

Blouin received 23% of the first-round votes, the second most of all six candidates. He was eliminated in the fourth round of the vote. Lopez ultimately received the fewest votes, eliminating her from the race in the first round. Unlike Blouin, she didn't receive enough signatures to qualify for the June 23 primary.

A 'blue tsunami'?

Peter Crosby (District 2), Kent Udell (District 3) and Jonny Larsen (District 4) all advanced to November's election with decisive victories on Saturday, during what became a historic day for the party.

At least 2,500 delegates attended, which party officials said could be a record.

"I thought it was a great convention," said Brian King, the party's chairman, after he read off the results.

It was a cap to an electric day, where the packed room waved blue pom-poms as each Congressional candidate spoke, symbolically representing a "blue tsunami" that party members hope for in the midterm elections this November, while delegates spilled out in the hallway to listen to each candidate.

Utah's new congressional boundaries also have the party poised to contend all four of the state's districts for the first time in "many, many years," said Clare Collard, national committee member for the Utah Democratic Party, which added to the buzz.

"We have a tremendous opportunity in this state this year, and we have to ... come together," she said.

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