A Commitment Most Politicians Would Not Make

Why I Am Running a Neutral Poll and Calling for Progressive Consolidation

Running for Congress is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was a decision I didn’t take lightly when I jumped into the race in November. And several months of twelve hour days later, no matter what happens, it’s been worthwhile. Campaigns like this take a toll, because they are about pushing big ideas forward and leveraging the people power we have to make change.

This race is bigger than any one of us. Ben McAdams wins this primary if progressives stay split, and he loses if we don’t. I’m willing to put my own campaign on the line to prove I mean it.

It’s about whether working people in Utah get a representative willing to fight for them, or whether we hand this seat to another establishment Democrat backed by corporate money and a political machine that tells people to lower their expectations.

Progressive Consolidation

Yesterday I shared why I’m calling for progressive consolidation in Utah’s 1st Congressional District.

First, you may be wondering what this actually means.

I’m making a commitment that frankly most politicians would never make:

If an independent public poll shows that I am not the leading progressive candidate in this race within the margin of error, I will withdraw and support the strongest progressive candidate before ballots are mailed on June 2.

I’m also calling on Liban Mohamed and Michael Farrell to make the same commitment.

I don’t approach this work with a group-hug mentality. I speak honestly and without sugarcoating. At the same time, I am committed to the hard work of building relationships. I value difficult conversations, I am not afraid to hold others accountable, and I am equally open to accountability myself.

A Responsibility to the Movement

I tried to initiate this agreement in private, working with progressive local leaders to mediate conversations and coordinate a shared poll. I proposed that campaigns split the cost and agree on a pollster together.

After delays and limited response, it became clear that the process wasn’t going to move quickly enough, if at all, to finish before ballots are mailed.

So I decided to take the initiative and move it forward.

I’m paying for the full cost of the poll and putting forward the risk I’m willing to take because I think voters deserve clarity, and progressives deserve a real path to unity.

I would have preferred this happened earlier. There was too much foot dragging, and we’re now up against a hard ballot deadline. We were told in order to get results before ballots are mailed on June 2nd, the poll had to be fielded by May 27th.

The stakes were too high to just “see what happens”.

What This Election Is Really About

Utahns deserve a progressive leader who will fight for Medicare for All, real climate action, housing people can afford, and reproductive freedom. Those stakes are too high to hand this seat to a bought-and-paid-for establishment Democrat backed by corporate interests.

This is about whether Utah’s 1st District elects someone who will fight for Medicare for All, real climate action, housing people can afford, labor rights, and reproductive freedom, or whether we settle for another corporate-aligned Democrat who has sold out working people time and time again.

I didn’t get into politics to climb ladders. I got into politics because I was tired of watching working families get crushed while politicians offered excuses instead of solutions.

I’ve fought for Medicare for All, labor rights, climate action that meets the scale of the crisis, housing people can actually afford, and reproductive freedom without compromise.

And I’ve taken heat for it.

When I beat a 20-year incumbent by 50 points, the political establishment didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat. I’ve been called “a punk” for standing up to powerful interests in the legislature. That’s fine with me. I didn’t run to make insiders comfortable.

Corporate Politics vs. Working People

Divided primaries almost always benefit the best-funded establishment candidate, especially one with deep institutional backing and corporate-aligned support.

Ben McAdams, the frontrunner in the race, voted against abortion rights and against the PRO Act during his time in Congress, and was ranked the most conservative Democrat in the House.

More recently, reporting has highlighted that McAdams is supported by the Better Blue Fund, a new fundraising entity that has drawn attention for channeling contributions from AIPAC donors.

The March 30 poll showed that when voters are presented with candidate bios and balanced messaging, I would beat Ben McAdams by double digits. That suggests there is a clear opportunity for a true progressive to win this race in a deep blue district. If other progressives agree that defeating McAdams matters more than any individual campaign, then this should be an easy decision. Progressives have a viable path to winning this seat. The question is whether we are willing to act on it.

The Poll and the Path Forward

The poll we are commissioning will be conducted by Upswing Research & Strategy, a respected progressive polling firm. It will be straightforward: candidate names only, no messaging, no framing, no outside influence. The goal is to get a clean read of where the race stands. The margin of error is 4.9% and includes 400 respondents.

Here is the methodology memo:

Upswing Research & Strategy will be conducting a poll among 400 likely primary voters across Utah’s 1st Congressional District from May 27-30, 2026. These interviews will be collected using live phone telephone calls on both landlines and cellphones and from SMS interviews where participants will receive a unique link and only be able to take the survey once. Poll respondents will be selected randomly from a sample derived from a voter file and the overall survey will be weighted based on age, race, gender, education, and region to ensure it’s representative of the likely electorate. The survey will list all four candidates– Nate Blouin, Ben McAdams, Liban Mohammed, and Michael Farrell – and their names will appear in a randomized order to prevent order bias.

This moment is not about any one campaign. It is about whether we organize in a way that reflects the stakes in front of us and gives Utahns a real choice in this election.

If you believe this seat should be held by a progressive who will not be pressured, shaped, or slowed down by corporate interests, I am asking you to support this effort.

Contribute here to help power this campaign and ensure we can take this fight all the way to June 23rd:

In solidarity,

Nate

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