The Democratic primary in Utah's brand-new 1st Congressional District cost $6.1 million
Outside groups spent nearly $5.4 million on Utah's three congressional primary elections
Democratic candidates and outside groups spent more than $6.1 million fighting over a congressional seat that didn't exist a year ago, and former Congressman Ben McAdams outspent all seven of his rivals combined to win it.
The new Democratic-leaning district, centered on Salt Lake County, was created after a judge threw out the old congressional map, which had been gerrymandered to create four rock-solid Republican seats.
The new 1st District gives Democrats a solid advantage heading into the November election. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the district as D+13. Under the new boundaries, Kamala Harris would have carried the district by 23 points in 2024, and Joe Biden would have won the district over Republican Donald Trump by nearly 25 points.
However, the partisan lean of the district is not reflected in voter registration. According to voter data provided by L2 Political, Democrats…