Ben McAdams

Ben McAdams is a former U.S. Congressman representing the fourth district of Utah from January 3, 2019 to January 3, 2021. He unseated Republican incumbent Mia Love in a tight election. He was unseated by Republican candidate Burgess Owens in a close 2020 election. McAdams was the only Democratic member of Utah’s congressional delegation during his tenure.

Before his election, he served as twice-elected mayor of Salt Lake County (2009 to 2012) and was a former Utah State Senator.

McAdams was born on December 5, 1974, in West Bountiful, Utah. He holds degrees from Columbia Law School and the University of Utah. He practiced law in New York and Utah, assisting businesses with federal securities regulation compliance. He also served as Senior Advisor to Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker. He was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah College of Law.

His wife, Julie, is also a Columbia Law School graduate. They are the parents of four children and live in Salt Lake City. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a full-time mission to Brazil.

McAdams was one of the first members of Congress to test positive for COVID-19, the pandemic that struck the world in December 2019 through 2020. He spent eight days in the University of Utah hospital and then had to isolate from his family for an additional 72 hours. He told KSL-TV, "It hit me pretty hard so I’m still pretty weak. I lost over 10 pounds. My body, I think, is still trying to adjust to a pretty major shock. . . . I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.”[1]