Utah Democratic delegates chose to shake things up at the April nominating convention when they put their weight behind a political unknown for the state’s new, blue-leaning 1st Congressional District. Liban Mohamed edged out former congressman Ben McAdams with 51.5% of the vote after five ranked-choice rounds.
The 27-year-old muslim son of Somali immigrants may be in the midst of his first foray into politics, but he’s no stranger to the inner workings of government. After public policy work at the American Heart Association and Big Tech firms Meta and TikTok, he came back to Utah to run for office.
“I want to be the leader that returned to my community, where I was born and raised, fighting for them … by leveraging that experience and expertise that I have,” he said.
Mohamed doesn’t consider his lack of experience in elected office to be a liability. He points to the coalition he built to win at the convention as proof that his message is resonating with voters. That coalition not only got ahead of McAdams, but also state Sen. Nate Blouin, who is campaigning on progressive policies and his endorsement from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“The difference maker was our ability to organize and get new people into that process and fight for the things that those very people are struggling with,” Mohamed said.
While he did not explicitly label himself as a progressive in his conversation with KUER, Mohamed has staked out policy positions that are consistent with that wing of the Democratic Party. That puts him in the same lane as Blouin and the other newcomer in the race, Michael Farrell. Blouin is pushing a self-funded popularity poll to determine which progressive candidate has the strongest support to better take on McAdams, who is widely considered to be the more centrist candidate.
Mohamed said he’s already shown he can be a winning candidate.
“There's only one person that beat Ben McAdams,” he said. “When it is one v. one1v1, we showed what we can do.”
KUER sat down with each Democratic 1st District candidate for a primary election profile. You can read interviews with Nate Blouin, Michael Farrell and Ben McAdams. This interview with Liban Mohamed has been edited for length and clarity.
What would you bring to Congress that's different?
For too long, Utahns feel like they've been left out of this process and don't have a leader that's really fighting for them and their everyday tangible issues.
So, what I'm going to bring to Congress is a new generation of leadership that's focused on the everyday issues that we're all facing. That means healthcare as a human right at a cheaper price. That means fighting for the everyday Utahn who works day in and day out to be able to afford the roof over their heads. That means to make sure that our parents don't have to choose between their paycheck and the well-being of their child. Somebody who's focused on tangible outcomes and making a difference.
How would you describe your politics within the wide range of views that make up the Democratic Party?
I think the left-and-right politics dynamic is not an accurate depiction of the way that I like to try to carry myself.
What you can count on me to be is a leader that's going to fight for healthcare as a human right, Medicare For All, make sure that we take on these large corporations who are buying up neighborhoods in bulk, and make sure that we can afford to be able to achieve that American Dream, childcare, paid parental leave. So these are the types of things that I'm really focused on and want to make sure that I'm fighting for Utahns by it.
The politics and all of that is not what I'm interested in. What I'm interested in is tangible policy proposals that make that difference. And, so, yes, some people might say that's a little bit left, but what I like to describe it as is focusing on leading, not performance.
If elected, you're likely to be the only Democrat in the delegation. How would you work with your fellow Utah representatives in Washington?
These different leaders, who have very different political ideologies than myself at the end of the day, they're leaders who are elected to serve our community. And I will work with whoever it may be to make sure that we get things done and make a difference. I'm not interested in political performance. I'm interested in changing our everyday lives and tackling this affordability crisis.
People like Sen. Mike Lee — especially when it comes to immigration issues — we disagree greatly, but I will still sit down with him, have that conversation about why we need to abolish ICE and build an immigration system that's rooted in our shared humanity.
I'm going to be that leader that makes sure that I'm not necessarily tweeting online, but I'm going to sit down and have the conversations that it requires to get the votes and make a difference.
How do you want to shape policy around fast-growing AI technology?
So, when elected to Congress, I'll be the only person with big tech experience and best suited to hold them accountable.
Look, one of the most difficult issues that we're going to be facing, not only in the present, but in the future, is this innovation. AI, tech, Big Tech, and how to tackle it. How do we realize the benefits of innovation while making sure that our communities are not being exploited, our environments are not being taken advantage of, [and] people are not losing their jobs, rather it's used in ways that make them earn jobs?
And the way that I want to do that is this: For [the] environment, that means prohibiting data centers in water-stressed areas, which Utah is. The Box Elder County data center that they're proposing right now, by that TV celebrity Kevin O'Leary, $30 billion project, 9 gigawatts of power, increases our carbon emissions by 50%. That does not belong in Utah when the Great Salt Lake is drying up.
So, prohibitions on data centers in water-stressed areas, 100% renewable energy requirements, water-neutral requirements and ensure that we have cost-causation rules. If we have to build new substations and transmission lines, if they cause it, they pay for it. It should not be passed to the ordinary residents.
And then the bigger bucket things, taking on social media, making sure that we're protecting our children online, protecting our privacy. These are the core bucket areas that I'm really going to be focused on and have the experience to ask the right questions and get things done.
What are some of your priorities when it comes to environmental policy?
Number one, prohibiting hyperscale data center development here. Sure, we might need to focus on how to have this critical infrastructure in a way that allows us to realize the benefits of innovation, but that should not be in water-stressed areas like Utah. We are in a drought. The Great Salt Lake is drying up, causing what is an imminent public health crisis, and the way that we do that is let’s address this with data centers.
The next thing, make sure that we reform our water rights policies and make sure that they're sound, they address what people need, not what they can use, per se. If we do that, I think it'll make a big, big difference.
And the most important thing, we need not only a one-time funding appropriation from Congress to save the Great Salt Lake, but we need ongoing funding and a mandate to save the Great Salt Lake and make sure that we're addressing our environmental crises with the tangible things that we can do as human beings.
What's the first thing you would do to address Utah's cost of living?
The first thing I want to do is not a policy in itself, but it's a focus. A focus on American diplomacy abroad and our own dignity at home, and ensuring that our funding, our appropriations, the way we spend our funds, is focused on us, not focused on spewing conflicts around the world.
There's nothing that can address our energy prices more than this. There's nothing that can address the way that we are investing in our institutions more than this, and that is a fundamental focus that I'm going to have to address: the economic crisis that we have right now, in addition to fighting for healthcare as a human right, paid parental leave and ensuring that we get these large corporations out of competing with the ordinary person for housing.
