But if it does, it will be extremely fascinating to see what we learn about the political preferences of those living in the new district and what that means about the type of candidate who is capable of winning it.

So far, we’ve had two names tossed into the mix as candidates: Utah State Sen. Kathleen Riebe and former Utah Rep. Ben McAdams.

I recently read the Utah News Dispatch’s story on Riebe’s candidacy announcement and found it to be extremely illuminating.

One of Riebe’s core arguments, according to the article, is that she is “a strong Democrat.”

She not so subtly attacked McAdams on that front.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work for the people of Utah and Salt Lake County,” she was quoted in the article as saying. “(McAdams) has his voting records, and people can start to look at that. I know that something that’s really been brought up to me, frequently, is his support of independents. And Democrats want a Democrat. And they want a strong Democrat. So I feel like that’s going to be the difference between him and I.”

Riebe’s message is clear. She’s a strong Democrat, and McAdams is not.

What is “a strong Democrat?”

The answer is implied in her statement that McAdams supports independents. To her, “a strong Democrat” is seemingly not one who moderates.

Later on in the article, speaking of Salt Lake County and McAdams, she was quoted as saying:

“We’re not like the rest of the state. We have a very urban feel to it. We rely on taking care of a very diverse community. So when you’re running a state race that’s more competitive and you have a bigger field, you have to be a little bit more scattered in your decisions.”

By “scattered in your decisions,” she certainly means “appealing to more than just the left.”

She added, according to the article:

“But for me, I’m here to fight for what my county wants now. And I don’t think we’ve had that in a while.”

Again, the message is unmistakable. Salt Lake County voters don’t want someone who appeals to moderates, like McAdams, and she checks that box.

But how far left do voters want to go is the real question.

In two major city races this election cycle, we saw democratic socialists win: Zohran Mamdani in New York City and Katie Wilson in Seattle. Both are unapologetic in their views.

After Mamdani claimed victory in New York City, I noticed a lot of the chatter from the left centered around the idea that his ideas do not reflect the Democratic Party as a whole, that New York City was uniquely to the left and that more moderate Democrats across the country winning was more indicative of where the party was.

Not in Seattle.

And I don’t think among the left in general when there’s a push to oust Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer because he couldn’t keep the Democrats in his caucus aligned on continuing the government shutdown.

Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, California congressman Ro Khanna, New Jersey senator Cory Booker, Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton and Connecticut senator Chris Murphy have all been critical of Schumer’s leadership, if not outright demanding change.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see any or all of those people put together a presidential run in 2028. They almost certainly see the writing on the wall and know the direction the party is going and what kind of candidate is going to have the advantage for the Democratic nomination.

There was talk throughout the shutdown that the only reason Schumer was advocating for it, despite being against it just a few months ago, was because he was terrified of being primaried by New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another democratic socialist.

If you hear that Schumer is not seeking re-election in 2028, don’t be surprised.

Despite all this, I can imagine many in Utah will scoff at the thought of socialist candidates winning elections in Utah.

“We’re more moderate here,” they’ll say.

Are we?

Maybe in the majority of Utah we wouldn’t accept that kind of political candidate, but what about Salt Lake County? Because if you listen to Riebe and how she talks about Salt Lake County voters as well as McAdams, you’d think Salt Lake County was more like New York City and Seattle.

In places like New York City and Seattle, being a moderate Democrat is politically toxic, so when Riebe talks about how Salt Lake County voters want “a real Democrat” and criticizes McAdams’ more moderate background, she’s appealing to the types of voters who would have voted for Mamdani and Wilson.

She clearly doesn’t think she’s alone as a Democrat in Utah to speak that way, and I don’t either.

Consider that after Mamdani won, a member of the Utah Board of Education, Sarah Reale, posted on X that she found his victory “exciting.”

Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran noticed and reposted it, adding:

“A Utah State School Board member is excited about a socialist winning? The insanity of Marxist ideas isn’t just in far-off places anymore, it’s right here in our own community, in elected office.”

In Reale’s post, she also claimed to be “more excited” about “moderate” Democrats who she said “ran on bipartisanship,” but when she implies through her own wording that Mamdani is not a moderate and says his victory is “exciting,” she’s sending a massive mixed signal.

She made it sound like she’s more aligned with moderates than with those like Mamdani, but if someone like Mamdani ran for elected office in Utah, would she support that person? Seems like she would. She finds him “exciting.” I’m curious just how far left Reale would be willing to go?

Reale should be asked and expected to answer those questions. So should Riebe and every other Democrat who wants to run for elected office in Utah.

Socialism is clearly gaining traction in the United States, as evidenced by the victories of Mamdani and Wilson. We might think we’re not going to see that in Utah, but I think language from Riebe and Reale suggests otherwise.

Over the course of the next year, we’re going to find out how close we really are, or if we’re already there.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.