Benjamin Michael McAdams (born December 5, 1974) is an American politician and attorney who served as the U.S. representative from Utah's 4th congressional district from 2019 to 2021.

In March 2011, McAdams proposed a bill banning employment and housing discrimination against gay and transgender Utahns.

[13] The Salt Lake Tribune identified McAdams as the most liberal-leaning member of the Utah Senate in 2011, with a conservative rating of 34.4% that year.

[17] In November 2011, McAdams announced his campaign to succeed Peter Corroon as mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah.

According to the Deseret News, the task was considered politically damaging,[24] as strong local opposition was expected regardless of the ultimate shelter location.

[26] Before making his recommendation, McAdams spent two nights on the streets of Salt Lake City, posing as a homeless person to gather information.

[27][28] Although tasked with recommending a site for the shelter, McAdams pledged to not support the center's groundbreaking unless the Utah Legislature passes a bill to create a pool of revenue from other cities to help with funding.

It partially funds more than 190 county arts and cultural organizations, as well as 30 parks and recreation facilities, including Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary, the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, and others.

[33] McAdams supported a Utah bill that gave Salt Lake County's townships the power to decide their future governance structure.

He 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.

[41][42][43] In June 2018, CNN reported that the race was considered "consequential to both parties" because Love had "stood up to [President Donald Trump] on immigration" and "because national Democrats [saw] McAdams as one of their best chances to gain a foothold on red turf".

[44] McAdams was endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition,[45] a House caucus of conservative and moderate Democrats that stresses fiscal responsibility.

[48][49] With his win, McAdams became the first Democratic member of congress elected from Utah since Jim Matheson won reelection to the 4th district in 2012.

[65] McAdams introduced an amendment to a funding bill to prevent resumption of nuclear weapons testing, which passed the House in July.

[78][79] During the 2018 election campaign, McAdams described himself as pro-life, referring to his "deeply held beliefs about the sanctity of life", and said that Mia Love's charge that he is an abortion advocate was "offensive".

McAdams also said "decisions about terminating a pregnancy should [be] made by a woman in consultation with her physician, family members and faith counselors she trusts".

[82] Although not a member of Congress when it passed, McAdams expressed opposition to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, because of the expected $1.5 trillion increase of the national debt over 10 years.

He 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.

[85][86] In July 2019, McAdams called on Democratic House leadership to advance the passage of the USMCA trade agreement negotiated between the Trump administration, Mexico, and Canada.

McAdams said the bill "is a step in the right direction but is still weighted down with partisan wish list items unrelated to the COVID crisis".

He supports a national energy portfolio that is balanced between renewables and traditional fossil fuel sources, as well as reductions in vehicle emissions.

He 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.

[92] McAdams does not support the Green New Deal; he has said he has "some concerns and [doesn't] have a lot of confidence in big heavy-handed government programs".

[98] While Salt Lake County mayor, McAdams called for Congress to make fixes to the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) instead of repealing it.

[83] He had previously called on Congress to renew the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) after its funding lapsed in September 2017.

[101] During the 2018 election campaign, McAdams opposed President Trump's plans to build a wall on the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

The government shutdown had centered on Trump's demands for additional funds to construct a wall and the unwillingness of House Democrats to agree to it.

[103] McAdams has expressed strong concern to the Trump administration about its plan to rescind visas for immediate family members of H-1B legal immigrants.

[110] Two days earlier, he had announced his intention to vote for impeachment, saying, "for me, the evidence is clear" that Trump attempted to undermine the 2020 presidential election by soliciting aid from Ukraine to help his own reelection efforts.

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.