America's Credit Unions said it is backing a former House Financial Services Committee member in a four-way Democratic primary for a congressional seat redrawn around Salt Lake City, where no Republicans are running.
Ben McAdams, mayor of Salt Lake City from 2013 to 2019, held a 4th-District seat around Salt Lake City from 2019 to 2021 after unseating an incumbent Republican incumbent Mia Love. He lost two years later to a Republican.
McAdams now faces Nate Blouin, Michael Farrell and Liban Mohamed in the June 23 primary. The Republican primary was canceled.
On Monday, America's Credit Unions announced a new independent expenditure campaign for McAdams. One of AmCU's predecessors, CUNA, had supported McAdams as an incumbent in 2020.
Together with previous campaigns for Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif., District 40) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif., District 36), who face primary voters on June 2, AmCU said the investments reinforce its "commitment to electing proven credit union champions to the 120th Congress."
AmCU said it is spending in the mid-six figures on each of three campaigns, mainly on digital advertising and direct mail. AmCU and California's Credit Unions said they are working closely with the Sherman campaign to turn out credit union members, while AmCU's spending for McAdams and Kim is independent of the candidates' campaigns. AmCU said its work for Sherman highlighted his "longstanding support for credit unions and his commitment to protecting consumers' access to affordable financial services."
AmCU will be supporting McAdams through direct mail, digital video and radio advertisements, and a dedicated campaign website. AmCU said it plans to launch the independent expenditure campaign this week.
AmCU also said the Salt Lake County district he would represent is "home to one of the most concentrated populations of credit unions in the nation, making the race especially significant for the credit union movement." Two of the credit unions based in the area are among the nation's 10 largest: America First Federal Credit Union of Riverdale, Utah ($24.7 billion in assets, 1.5 million members) and Mountain America Federal Credit Union of Salt Lake City ($22.7 billion in assets, 1.4 million members).
AmCU President/CEO Scott Simpson said AmCU worked closely with California's Credit Unions and the Utah Credit Union Association "to support candidates who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to the credit union movement."
"Credit unions need leaders in Congress who understand the vital role they play in strengthening local communities, expanding financial opportunity, and serving millions of Americans," Simpson said.
"Young Kim, Brad Sherman and Ben McAdams understand the value credit unions bring to consumers and local economies, and they have proven to be strong advocates for policies that help credit unions thrive," Simpson said. "As we look ahead to the 120th Congress, electing leaders who support credit unions and their members has never been more important."
AmCU said this cycle's landscape is challenging because of a historic number of open seats and competitive races nationwide. It is supporting its candidates through America's Credit Unions PAC and the National Advocacy Fund (NAF).
Trey Hawkins, head of political affairs, said AmCU's political investments this cycle "reflect the high stakes facing credit unions and the importance of electing leaders who understand our movement."
"With a record number of competitive races, we are engaging early and strategically to support candidates like Ben McAdams, whose commitment to community-focused leadership aligns with credit unions' mission of serving members and strengthening local economies," Hawkins said.
Contact Jim DuPlessis at Jim.DuPlessis@arc-network.com.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.