Becky Edwards qualifies for 2nd Congressional District GOP primary
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Becky Edwards officially qualified for the Republican primary ballot in the race to replace Rep. Chris Stewart in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, after gathering more than 7,000 signatures, Utah’s elections office said Friday.
Edwards’ campaign sent out a press release Friday afternoon saying state Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson’s office had verified 7,000 signatures — the number required — out of the 12,500 submitted by the campaign.
“This was truly a grassroots, volunteer-driven effort, and I’m incredibly grateful for the hundreds of Utahns across the district that gathered signatures on my behalf,” Edwards said, according to the press release.
Edwards will join fellow Republican Celeste Maloy on the GOP ballot for the Sept. 5 primary election. Maloy was chosen to represent the party by delegates to the state Republican convention last month, and, after facing questions about her voter registration status prior to filing to run, had her name submitted as the party’s nominee.
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One additional candidate, Republican National committeeman Bruce Hough, also submitted signatures to the state, and may still qualify for the ballot if enough of those signatures are verified.
Edwards, who spent five terms representing North Salt Lake in the state legislature, has positioned herself as a political moderate in previous races. She ran against U.S. Sen. Mike Lee in the Republican primary last year, receiving just under 30% of the vote.
Because of her prior campaigns, Edwards may enjoy more name recognition than Maloy, who was endorsed by Stewart after serving as his chief legal counsel for the past four years. She also received the endorsement of former congressman Rob Bishop.
State GOP chair Rob Axson said the party will host a debate before the September primary if there is demand for one.
