- Utah Democrats condemn racist responses to Liban Mohamed's congressional campaign video.
- State Rep. Trevor Lee criticized policies encouraging immigration.
- Mohamed was born in Utah to Somali immigrant parents and is running for Utah's 1st District congressional seat.
SALT LAKE CITY — State Democratic leaders are condemning what they say are racist responses to a campaign video from Utah's newest candidate for Congress.
The candidacy of Liban Mohamed, who was born in Utah to Somali immigrant parents, has attracted broad attention on social media, including a slew of racially charged comments.
"The flood of racist and religious hate directed at Liban Mohamed is disgusting," the Utah Democratic Pary said in a statement on social media.
"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," the party said. "Instead of engaging on the merits of his character, values, or ideas, they default to bigotry and outright dehumanization."
Mohamed announced his candidacy in a video this week, noting that Utahns lead the nation in charitable giving, but "our leaders take us for granted."
"We already show the world what service and care looks like," he said of Utahns. "It's time we get a government that does the same."
Mohamed's announcement has attracted a lot of attention. His video racked up more than 2 million views on X as of Wednesday afternoon. The 27-year-old joins a packed field of Democrats running in the 1st District, which is part of a new congressional map adopted by Judge Dianna Gibson after a lawsuit alleging Republicans gerrymandered the previous map.
Utah state Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, responded to a screenshot of Mohamed's announcement post Wednesday writing: "This is what happens when past policies to incentives (sic) foreigners and not protect your culture run unchecked.
"We need to roll back all benefits and past policies that don't put Utahns first," Lee continued. "Housing, welfare of any kind, health care and most importantly prosecuting and deporting foreign invaders who shouldn't be here in the first place."
Lee has previously faced scrutiny for posting a video of Muslims walking as part of an annual religious pilgrimage in Taylorsville and adding the comment: "Not a single American flag in sight."
Other responses to the video call for Mohamed to be deported — even though he was born in the United States. They also include racist memes and refer to the candidate by racial slurs.
Somali immigrants have been a recent target of President Donald Trump and his supporters as the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are investigating allegations of fraud, including at child care centers, in Minnesota, home to the nation's largest Somali population.
Lee told KSL Wednesday that his post "was in response to concerns about policies that incentivize mass immigration without prioritizing assimilation into Utah's unique culture — one deeply rooted in family values, self-reliance, community service, constitutional principles, and the Judeo-Christian traditions that have shaped our state for generations."
"While Mr. Mohamed was born in Utah, his platform includes progressive policies that, in my view, do not align with the core values held by most Utahns or the constitutional framework our Founding Fathers established," Lee's lengthy statement continued. "We must enforce immigration laws rigorously, including prosecuting and deporting those who enter or remain illegally, to protect public safety and sovereignty."
Mohamed's campaign video drew support from other Democrats in Utah, including one of his opponents, former Congressman Ben McAdams, who called the "racist" attacks "unacceptable."
"Liban and I are running for the same office, but that doesn't mean we can't treat each other with decency and respect," McAdams said. "What I've seen directed at him online is hateful and dehumanizing. … That has no place in Utah, and it has no place in a democracy that's supposed to belong to all of us."
Mohamed seemed aware of the backlash his candidacy may receive, telling the Deseret News in an interview Tuesday — after his video was posted but before it had reached millions of views — that his campaign would "bring a lot of attention because of the different parts of who I am and the characteristics that I have."
"But in that divisiveness that comes from the rhetoric on the right is an opportunity to showcase our character, our integrity and what Utah truly is in accepting people," he said. "It is a people that will unite against such type of rhetoric, as you've probably already seen on my X account."
In Mohamed's video, he said he was born and raised in Utah by parents who immigrated from Somalia. If elected, he pledged to push for universal child care, affordable housing and health care for all.
The new 1st District in Utah is entirely concentrated in Salt Lake County, which strongly favors Democrats. Besides Mohamed, announced candidates for the seat so far include McAdams, current state Sens. Kathleen Riebe and Nate Blouin, former state Sen. Derek Kitchen, Salt Lake City Councilwoman Eva Lopez Chavez, West Valley native Luis Villareal, Salt Lake resident Kye Hinckley, and Box Elder County resident Toni Tomkins.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mohamed works at TikTok and touts himself as helping defeat efforts to ban the social media giant. Prior to that, he worked at Meta, the American Heart Association, and Zions Bancorporation. Mohamed has been a registered lobbyist in Utah since 2022, according to state records.
On his LinkedIn profile, Mohamed reports having earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and doing a study program at Harvard Business School. He was also listed as a member of the men's soccer team at Utah State Eastern in 2017 and 2018.
Contributing: Brigham Tomco
