The crowded field of Democrats vying for the party’s nomination in Utah’s new, blue-leaning 1st Congressional district shrank Saturday as state Sen. Kathleen Riebe dropped out and endorsed the frontrunner, former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams.

Riebe, who was the first candidate to get into the race, announced her departure and endorsement to delegates at the party’s Salt Lake County convention at Highland High School.

“We love you, Kathleen,” someone in the audience shouted as Riebe took the stage.

“I’m sad that big money rules the day and part of me feels like I could still squeak it out, but I don’t have the finances for it, and it makes me sad that if you don’t have the money, you can’t win,” Riebe told The Salt Lake Tribune in an interview. “It’s not about good people. It’s about fundraising constantly.”

In throwing her support behind McAdams, Riebe acknowledged she’s endorsing the fundraising leader. But, she said, “he’s the obvious choice for me. There’s not anyone else who has the bandwidth to do this right now.”

“Ben is not my ideal choice. I am,” she said, noting that she would like to see McAdams be more assertive when it comes to reproductive rights. But, she added, “instead of making it harder, I’d rather see a clear path for a successful statesman.”

Shortly before Riebe announced her endorsement, McAdams told delegates the crowded field largely shares the same core values, but argued his experience is what sets him apart.

“We agree far more than we disagree,” McAdams said, pointing to issues like health care, abortion access, opposition to a planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Salt Lake City, ending the Iran war and raising the minimum wage.

Still, he made the case that he is best positioned to turn those priorities into results, pointing to his record as a former member of Congress and former Salt Lake County mayor.

“Here’s the thing that no politician wants to say out loud,” McAdams said. “You can believe every right thing, you can give every right speech, and you can still go to Washington and not change anything.”

Riebe said she did not endorse her state senate colleague, Nate Blouin, because she doesn’t feel like Blouin is a person that Democrats can rally behind.

“He’s been too inflammatory and, in this world today, we need healing and we need cohesiveness,” she told The Tribune. “We can’t squander this opportunity and put some loose cannon in there.”

At the convention, Blouin told the crowd he believes the Democratic party is in need of a “new voice” in Washington.

“People are sick and tired of the status quo,” Blouin said. “I have used my platform to stand up for our constituents, to push back against Republican overreach and to make sure that working Utahns have a voice.”

Blouin pointed to issues he said Democrats must continue to confront, including ongoing conflicts abroad, immigration enforcement policies, the rising cost of housing and challenges within the health care system.

“This is our chance to find ourselves and truly be the party of working people,” Blouin said. “... That is why I’m running for Congress.”

Riebe, who has been a long-time educator, is in the second year of her state senate term and won’t face re-election until 2028. She previously was the Democratic nominee for a special congressional election in 2023, but lost to U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy in a heavily Republican district.

She was the first Democrat to announce her candidacy for the newly drawn 1st District seat.

The map was chosen by a judge to replace unlawfully gerrymandered boundaries that had been adopted by the Republican Legislature, creating a Democratic advantage in the district encompassing a large portion of Salt Lake County.

A poll released recently by Blouin’s campaign showed that Riebe had 7% of the Democratic support, putting her well behind Blouin at 23% and McAdams at 36%.