Benjamin Michael McAdams was born on December 5,1974 and is an American politician and attorney who served as the US representative from Utah's 4th congressional district from 2019 to 2021.
50 Facts About Ben McAdams
2.
Ben McAdams was the only Democratic member of Utah's congressional delegation, and a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
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In 2020, McAdams ran for reelection, but he lost to Republican challenger Burgess Owens.
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Ben McAdams has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Utah and a JD with honors from Columbia Law School.
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At Columbia Ben McAdams was a member of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review.
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Ben McAdams has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah College of Law.
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Ben McAdams was elected to replace Scott McCoy as the senator for Utah's second district in a special election on December 19,2009.
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Ben McAdams was elected to a four-year term on November 2,2010.
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In March 2011 Ben McAdams proposed a bill banning employment and housing discrimination against gay and transgender Utahns.
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In November 2011 Ben McAdams announced his campaign to succeed Peter Corroon as mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah.
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Ben McAdams was mentioned as a potential candidate in Utah's 2016 Senate race or Utah's 2016 gubernatorial race, but did not run for either position.
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Ben McAdams was tasked by the Utah Legislature to select a location for a new homeless shelter in Salt Lake County, outside of Salt Lake City.
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In 2014 Ben McAdams supported the renewal of a Zoos, Arts, and Parks tax in Salt Lake County.
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The opposition was due to an overrun of $367,000 over the preliminary budget request that Ben McAdams had submitted previously.
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Ben McAdams proposed a county budget for 2019 that included additional funds over previous years' budgets for public safety, including funds to fully open Oxbow Jail, and to help the local sheriff hire and retain public safety officers.
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The budget would not include a tax increase, and Ben McAdams has said that overall new requests were reduced by around $18 million.
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Ben McAdams supported a Utah bill that gave Salt Lake County's townships the power to decide their future governance structure.
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Ben McAdams implemented a "pay-for-success" model that invited third-party investors to pay for preschool and gain a return on their investment when specified benchmarks were met.
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Ben McAdams opposed a proposed Facebook data center in West Jordan in 2016.
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Ben McAdams believed that the data center was too expensive, since it would have directly produced a maximum of only 130 jobs.
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On October 18,2017, McAdams announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination to oppose incumbent Representative Mia Love, a Republican representing Utah's 4th congressional district.
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Ben McAdams was endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition, a House caucus of conservative and moderate Democrats that stresses fiscal responsibility.
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Ben McAdams was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters.
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Ben McAdams was challenged by Republican Burgess Owens, a former NFL player and frequent contributor on Fox News.
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Ben McAdams was the only Democrat in Utah's congressional delegation during his tenure.
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Ben McAdams voted for Stephanie Murphy, a Democratic representative from Florida, for House speaker.
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Ben McAdams had previously joined other Democratic House members in signing a letter pledging to oppose Nancy Pelosi as House speaker.
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Ben McAdams was supported by the other 26 members of the Blue Dog Caucus.
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Ben McAdams introduced a bill to help victims of Ponzi schemes recover their money.
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Ben McAdams has emphasized his efforts to work with Republicans, and has said on multiple occasions that he believes that it is important to work together to solve problems.
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Ben McAdams has identified himself as pro-life but voted against several anti-abortion bills as a state senator.
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Ben McAdams later said he voted against them because he considered them poorly written, and was concerned about their unintended legal consequences, not because he supported abortion.
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Ben McAdams said "decisions about terminating a pregnancy should [be] made by a woman in consultation with her physician, family members and faith counselors she trusts".
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In 2019 Ben McAdams voted against a House bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
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Ben McAdams said he supports a higher minimum wage, but wants a system that sets the rate based on the regional cost of living and purchasing power.
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In July 2019, Ben McAdams called on Democratic House leadership to advance the passage of the USMCA trade agreement negotiated between the Trump administration, Mexico, and Canada.
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Ben McAdams was one of 18 Democrats who joined all House Republicans to oppose a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief stimulus bill sponsored by Democrats.
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Ben McAdams supports increased renewable energy sources and the development of new technologies.
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Ben McAdams requested that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee double the funding available for the Utah Transit Authority to purchase electric buses, in an effort to improve air quality.
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Ben McAdams was the only member of the Utah congressional delegation to do so.
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Ben McAdams has said that he used guns frequently growing up as recreation and supports the Second Amendment but believes in more responsible gun ownership laws.
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In February 2019, Ben McAdams voted for a bill requiring background checks for all gun buyers.
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Ben McAdams voted against a Democratic-sponsored measure to extend the waiting period to buy a firearm from 3 days to 10 days.
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Ben McAdams had previously called on Congress to renew the Children's Health Insurance Program after its funding lapsed in September 2017.
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Ben McAdams has called for comprehensive immigration reform that includes secured borders, increased legal immigration, and a permanent solution for participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as Dreamers.
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Ben McAdams has expressed strong concern to the Trump administration about its plan to rescind visas for immediate family members of H-1B legal immigrants.
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Ben McAdams criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi for ripping up her copy of Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address.
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Ben McAdams called the action "very disappointing" and said "we have a lot of things to celebrate" about the Trump administration, including the economy and jobs.
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Ben McAdams is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served a mission to Brazil in the mid-1990s.
50.
Ben McAdams was the second sitting member of Congress to test positive, after Mario Diaz-Balart earlier that day.