Robert GehrkeFormer U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams has raised close to three times as much money as his closest competitor, state Sen. Nate Blouin, in the race for Utah’s 1st Congressional District, and has as much in the bank as the rest of the crowded Democratic field combined.
Ahead of the April 25 state party convention, McAdams has raised more than $1.5 million — more than a third of it in the last quarter — and has over $863,000 in the bank to power his campaign through the primary.
Blouin, meanwhile, brought in $323,000 during the first quarter of the year, bringing his total to $526,000 raised so far. His campaign has just under $232,000 left, according to the candidates’ disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Blouin has criticized McAdams for relying on big corporations for his donations, but donations from political action committees make up about $1 out of every $15 McAdams has raised. He received donations from PACs representing Realtors, home builders, pharmaceuticals and insurance companies.
“We need to take on the power structure that buys politicians and rigs elections,” Blouin said in a statement. “Military-industrial complex donors, Big Oil, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] contractors, and corporate PACs helped bankroll Ben McAdams’ previous congressional campaign, and once in office, he voted in line with those interests. … That’s what people are tired of: politicians who say one thing at home and serve their donors in Washington.”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Millcreek, converses outside the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
About three-quarters of McAdams itemized donations — those more than $200 — during the period came from inside the state, compared to 60% of Blouin’s.
Blouin’s fundraising total includes a $7,000 loan to the campaign from his wife.
Among the other Democrats competing for the party’s nomination:
• Salt Lake City Councilperson Eva Lopez Chavez has raised $50,000 and has about $9,000 left in the bank.
• Liban Mohamed put $46,000 of his own money into his campaign and tapped into the Utah Muslim community to generate $121,000 campaign funds. He has about $25,000 left in the bank.
• Michael Farrell loaned his campaign $200,000 and raised another $45,000, bringing the total left in the bank to $88,000.
• State Sen. Kathleen Riebe, who abandoned the race on Saturday, is carrying about $27,000 in campaign debt for bookkeeping and consulting services.
• Luis Villareal did not file a report to the FEC. Candidates who have not raised or spent $5,000 are not required to file a report.
Blouin and McAdams are the only two candidates so far who have enough verified signatures to qualify for the June primary ballot, regardless of what happens at the convention. Blouin’s report shows his campaign paid just $14,500 to round up the 7,000 required signatures, while McAdams spent more than $200,000.
Farrell reported spending about $168,000 on signature gathering while Mohamed’s campaign had spent $65,000.
Among the Republicans vying for the office, Riley Owen raised more than $68,000 and loaned his campaign $30,000, bringing his fundraising total to just shy of $100,000. He paid $84,000 for signature gathering and has just under $14,000 left in his campaign account.
The other candidates in the field — Dave Robinson, Stone Fonua, Jonathan Lopez and Adam Clayton on the Republican side, as well as Libertarian candidate Jesse West — did not file a report with the FEC.
