Son of Somali immigrants shakes up Utah Democratic primary

Lok DarjeeTuesday May 12, 2026

Liban Mohamed, a 27-year-old progressive newcomer with deep immigrant roots, has turned a little-known campaign into one of Utah’s most closely watched Democratic contests — and his narrow convention win has given him a real opening heading into June’s primary.

Liban Mohamed: ‘We have first-time delegates, young people, refugees, immigrants, working-class people, and longtime community members organizing to deliver a huge upset.’ Photograph: Liban Mohamed for Congress

Mohamed, the son of Somali immigrants, won the Utah Democratic state convention last month with 51% of the vote, a result widely viewed as a surprise to the party establishment. The victory sends him into a high-stakes primary for a House seat in Utah’s first congressional district, where he will again face former congressman and ex-Salt Lake County mayor Ben McAdams.

His rapid ascent has highlighted a widening fault line inside Utah’s Democratic party, reflecting a national struggle between the party’s moderate wing and a younger, more progressive faction eager to reshape its message and leadership.

In the first district race, Mohamed beat McAdams, a far better-funded contender who remains on the ballot. Utah candidates can qualify for the primary either by winning at convention or by collecting enough signatures, and all four candidates — Mohamed, McAdams, state senator Nate Blouin and attorney Michael Farrell — made it onto the ballot through signatures.

Mohamed, who once worked in public policy at Meta and TikTok, argued that his rise is a sign of voter frustration with politics as usual and with leaders who, in his view, have failed working-class residents and immigrant communities. “The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Mohamed said. “Utahns are willing to take a risk on hope over the certainty of the status quo.”

He was born in a small town in Utah and often links his family’s refugee story to the history of the state’s Latter-day Saint, or Mormon, community, which also has a long memory of persecution in the United States.

“In a lot of ways, many people here see themselves as refugees,” Mohamed said. “So when they see families coming from places like where mine came from, seeking asylum, they have a soft place in their hearts.”

His convention win came against a backdrop of controversy involving other contenders. Blouin, once regarded as a leading candidate and a former Bernie Sanders staffer, faced criticism after old online posts resurfaced showing jokes about sexual assault, slurs and comments insulting members of the Mormon faith. Blouin has apologized and told delegates he is confronting his past mistakes. Salt Lake City council member Eva Lopez Chavez was also accused by multiple people of unwanted sexual advances, allegations she has denied. She was eliminated in the first round of voting.

Mohamed’s rise comes at a critical moment in Utah politics after years of legal fighting by a non-partisan group to restore Proposition 4, the state’s anti-gerrymandering measure. Earlier this year, the state supreme court struck down Republican-drawn maps in a major anti-gerrymandering ruling, leading to a redrawn first congressional district centered on Salt Lake County that is more compact, more Democratic-leaning and notably diverse, young and progressive-leaning.

“This district is not what most people think,” Mohamed said in a phone interview. “We have 60,000 refugees, 60,000 Muslims, and nearly 120,000 people from the Latinx community.”

His campaign also arrives amid a broader Democratic wave nationally, with some in the Utah Democratic establishment calling it another “Mamdani moment”. Even so, Mohamed is still an underdog in his state. He remains in the single digits in polling, while McAdams and Blouin both hold double-digit leads and far larger fundraising totals.

Mohamed said he decided to run as the second Trump administration stepped up its immigration crackdown and as Somali communities in the Midwest faced rising tension. In Minnesota, federal immigration operations intensified under Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale enforcement push that sent thousands of agents into the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and drew national outrage after several deadly encounters involving federal officers.

Trump also repeatedly singled out Ilhan Omar, the only Somali American member of Congress, amplifying rhetoric that many Somali Americans saw as openly hostile. At the same time, rightwing YouTubers spread online claims accusing members of the Somali community of fraud, deepening the strain. “I had to ask myself, do I stand up and fight back with full strength, knowing it could bring more attention to our district and potentially bring ICE here faster?” he said. “That moment made me realize what this is about. It’s finding a leader hopeful enough to fight when the time is right, but careful enough to do what’s best for the community.”

When Mohamed entered the race, the response was swift and ugly.

“I was flooded with more than 40,000 anti-immigrant, Islamophobic messages,” he said. “There were people who were scared, and maybe even shocked, that a 27-year-old Somali American, the son of immigrants, in Utah of all places, would believe he belongs in Congress.”

Even so, Mohamed insisted the problem is not Utah itself but the political system that speaks for it. “Our politics and our representation are not reflecting the true values we possess,” he said.

With the primary fast approaching, Mohamed is betting that an energized grassroots coalition can still rewrite the script.

“We have first-time delegates, young people, refugees, immigrants, working-class people, and longtime community members organizing to deliver a huge upset,” he said. “People continue to discount us. But at the end of the day, community prevails. It’s the people who vote, not the dollars you spend.”