Born in Logan and raised in Ogden, Utah, University of Utah alum Liban Mohamed declared his candidacy for Utah’s historically Republican congressional seat last week.

In Washington, D.C.’s House of Representatives, four elected officials represent the state of Utah. One of those seats is set to cover the Salt Lake County area, as declared by Judge Diana Gibson in the case against gerrymandering late last year.

In an interview with the Chronicle, Mohamed — the son of Somali immigrants — said that he wants to run for the seat to represent his community. “I love Utah. I’ve always lived here, and I grew up here. When this new seat came up, there were leaders across the Black community, the Muslim community and other mentors I’ve had throughout my life [that] all came to me and told me that this is the moment that minority communities need to step up, the moment that young people need to step up,” Mohamed said.

With the seat being only 27 years old and historically Republican, Mohamed made the decision to enter the race as a Democrat.

The U’s College Democrats president, Noah Dizon-Maughan, commented on Mohamed’s campaign. “It’s nice to see that we have more representation in this area,” he told the Chronicle. “I feel hopeful about it, because I think there’s a huge swath of younger candidates who want to put Utah first.”

Background and career

Mohamed graduated from the U in 2021 with a degree in strategic communications and has had a wide range of jobs since. From the American Heart Association to Meta and TikTok, all of these experiences have led to his candidacy for Congress. 

In his senior year at the U, Mohamed worked for the American Heart Association as their government relations director. In that position, he campaigned to fight big tobacco companies, require CPR training in high schools and increase training for emergency dispatchers. “From there, I got to work at Meta, specifically focusing on data centers and sustainability policy, making sure that these data centers are being developed with a certain standard,” Mohamed added.

After his experience with Meta, Mohamed went on to work for TikTok, an experience that helped him craft skills he hopes to apply during the upcoming election season. “These jobs were all real tests that helped me grow as an individual, as a professional, as a public servant and I feel well equipped for this moment to come into new service,” Mohamed said.

Campaign focuses

When asked to describe the main agenda of his campaign for Congress, Mohamed explained that there are four bucket areas his team will be focusing on: housing, healthcare, universal childcare and checks on corporate spending. 

Dizon-Maughan said he feels hopeful about Mohamed’s campaign, saying it combats the anxieties he feels as a Gen Z college student. “It’s nice to know that there’s someone out there who’s fighting for people like me, young college students, young people who want to live independently one day. I have a really positive outlook on his campaign,” Dizon-Maughan said. 

Political backlash

However, with the announcement of his candidacy last week came a number of hateful comments online. One such comment came from current Utah state representative Trevor Lee, who stated on X, “This is what happens when past policies to incentivize foreigners and not protect your culture run unchecked.” 

The Utah Democratic Party responded to the comments toward Mohamed on X, stating, “The flood of racist and religious hate directed at Liban Mohamed is disgusting. Let’s be clear where it’s coming from: the racism and white fragility on display from Republicans across this state is dangerous and embarrassing.” 

Former Congressman Ben McAdams, who is also running for a congressional seat, supported Mohamed on social media. 

“The racist and anti-immigrant attacks being directed at Liban Mohamed are unacceptable,” McAdams said in a statement on X.  “Liban and I are running for the same office, but that doesn’t mean we can’t treat each other with decency and respect. Anyone who is willing to step forward, put their name on the ballot, and serve our community deserves to be treated with dignity.”

Mohamed remains optimistic. “We’re the youngest state in the nation, and if elected, I’ll be the youngest member of Congress, and I will be the one that’s in the best position to fight for the future.”

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