Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, says he will not challenge Democrat Ben McAdams in Utah’s 4th Congressional District next year.
McCay, who was expected by many to challenge for the Republican nomination to take on McAdams in 2020, says he is declining to run because he has young children at home, and a run for Congress would be an unacceptable disruption to their lives.
“I’ve got a family, and they’re the most important thing for me,” said McCay. “I just got back from a 10-day trip to Peru with them and I just realized that they’re the thing I need to be focusing on right now.”
McAdams is considered to be one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress heading into the 2020 election cycle. UT4 is rated as an R+13 district, which means it leans 13-points more Republican than the national average, and it is one of 31 congressional districts won by Donald Trump in 2016 that is held by a Democrat. McAdams defeated Rep. Mia Love by less than 700 votes in 2018.
McCay said in a telephone interview he would not have considered the race if he did not believe McAdams could be defeated next year.
“I believe Congressman Ben McAdams is a good man. However, his politics represent a serious speed bump just as America is picking up economic speed. Utah has a strong record of conservative policies keeping us atop the heap of other states. Voters would do well to choose a strong conservative voice that can carry that vision to Washington, D.C.”
McCay says he’s making his plans to sit out 2020 early to be fair to other Republicans thinking about running.
“I need to get out of the way in case there are other candidates who are considering getting in,” he said.
Other Republicans who are reportedly mulling a challenge to McAdams next year include Kathleen Anderson, State Senator Daniel Hemmert, State Representatives Kim Coleman and Jefferson Moss and Utah County Commissioner Nathan Ivie.
