Republicans have flipped another House of Representatives seat with former NFL star Burgess Owens’s win over Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah).
McAdams, 45, called Owens, 69, on Monday to concede in the race for Utah’s 4th Congressional District.
“Today, I called Burgess Owens to congratulate him on winning this election. I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to serve Utahns,” McAdams said in a statement.
The former Salt Lake City mayor was trying to win a second term after unseating Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) in 2018. He won by under 1,000 votes.
McAdams was the only Democrat member of the lower congressional chamber representing Utah.
Owens said in a statement: “WE DID IT! Thank you so much to every one of you for your unwavering support. It’s been a long journey, and now the REAL WORK begins! I look forward to working to protect the American Promise with you in the halls of Congress.”
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer congratulated Owens on the win.
“Burgess is a conservative who will always stand with Utah’s 4th District. I look forward to working with Burgess to tackle the most pressing issues facing our nation,” he said in a statement.
Owens will be the GOP’s second black representative, along with fellow rep-elect Byron Donalds of Florida.
Utah’s 4th Congressional District includes portions of four counties. Historically, it’s gone for Republicans.
President Donald Trump sent a message to Owens on Nov. 14, when it began to be clear that he had won.
“Great going Burgess, you continue to be a STAR!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said he looked forward to talking with Owens in Washington.
Owens, an author and frequent commentator on Fox News, told KUTV on Monday that his priorities will be education, small businesses, and pro-life efforts.
“Those folks that I consider another area of our heroes that we don’t talk about, they take risks, they stay up at night trying to figure out how to make things work,” Owens said.
Owens said he would work to serve his community “to the very best of all of us no matter what side of the aisle you sit on.”
Democrats will retain control of the House, according to current projections and completed races, but may hold a majority in the next Congress as slim as a few seats.
Republicans have flipped around a dozen seats as well as picking up the open seat left by retiring Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.), a former Republican.
Nine races remain too close to call as of Tuesday morning.
“I believe at the end of the day, the Republicans will run the floor because it will be our ideas that are stronger—that the American public had rejected defunding the police, dismantling America,” he said. “We believe we can rebuild and restore the American way.”
