Ben McAdams, Rebecca Cooke, Bob Brooks And the Democrats’ Endless Identity Crisis

Running Conservative Dems In 2026 Isn’t Just Bad Strategy— It’s Self-Destruction

When Utah Blue Dog Ben McAdams was briefly in Congress, he was a horrible disappointment, one of the most conservative, anti-Choice Democrats in the House, first campaigning, for example, on a platform that included opposing Nancy Pelosi for speaker, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

Now he may be running for Congress again. We all know it’s crucial to defeat Trumpists across the board. With that said… is shoveling scarce resources into campaigns for conservatives like McAdams who have muddied the Democratic Party brand and helped make it possible for GOP fascist wins? Yesterday, Liz Crampton and Sam Benson reported that Utah may be creating a competitive congressional seat in the Salt Lake City area that McAdams is interested in running in. “He has begun phoning donors to gauge interest, according to two people with direct knowledge of his thinking. Other names circulating within Democratic circles include state Sen. Nate Blouin. And some of the state’s Democratic donors say they are eager to back a candidate who would break Republicans’ grip on the state.” Yeah, of course they are. But let’s consider for a moment why a McAdams comeback could be a disaster for Dems.

Keep in mind that his single term was a master class in how to dilute the Democratic brand and give Trumpism oxygen. Blunter: Democrats like McAdams have been disasters for the Democratic Party. In McAdams case, he bragged about opposing Pelosi from a Republican perspective— because, in his words, he wanted “fresh leadership,” a gimmick to look “independent” while parroting GOP narratives. He waffled and framed reproductive freedom as a “personal belief issue,” language straight out of the Republican playbook and he joined the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group that has repeatedly undermined Democratic leverage and handed wins to Republicans on immigration, budget fights and healthcare.

McAdams’ entire strategy was the tired, failed playbook of the Blue Dog Coalition: Run as Republican-lite in a red state, win one term, and hope nobody notices how much damage you do to the party’s core values. But people noticed. McAdams didn’t just lose in 2020— he left behind the same hollow, uninspiring politics that make it easier for Trump and his enablers to thrive.

And now, he wants back in? Isn’t this part of the definition of learning nothing? Remember our old, old dictum about the myth of “any Democrat will do.” Most Democratic Party insiders and careerists will argue, “A seat is a seat. We need the numbers.” But let’s stay real:  conservative Democrats do not build the coalition we need. They depress turnout, fracture the base and block progress on reproductive freedom, climate, and economic justice. Every time Democrats elevate a McAdams— or a Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin or Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania— they tell voters the party doesn’t really believe in its own platform. That’s poison for a national brand already battling cynicism.

Blue Dogs aren’t a firewall against Trumpism— they’re a gateway. They muddy the waters, blur the contrast, and make it easier for Republicans to paint the entire party as weak and unprincipled. There’s no question Utah Democrats face a steep climb. But the solution isn’t a candidate who campaigns on Republican terms. It’s someone— like Robb Ryerse in Arkansas— who can speak to economic fairness, freedom, humanity and democracy without surrendering core values. Candidates who inspire— not triangulate— are the only ones who can shift political ground over time.

If Democrats think another Blue Dog comeback is the answer, they’re asking the wrong question. History is unambiguous: every time Democrats empower their most conservative members, they weaken their ability to inspire and to govern. Blue Dogs helped water down the Affordable Care Act, blocked bold climate action, and stalled reproductive rights protections. If the party doubles down on this failed model, it won’t just risk losing Utah— it also risks continuing ro lose the next decade to Republican dominance. I mean this is the response Democrats should expect from their would-be leaders (endorsed, no less, by Bernie Sanders)??? The Lehigh Valley deserves a real Democrat, not this: