In tame first debate, candidates vying to replace Rep. Chris Stewart try to stand out
At a debate with few fireworks, Republican candidates hoping to replace Rep. Chris Stewart met Tuesday in their first of two outings before the state party convention this weekend.
The field could narrow considerably on Saturday, when party delegates will choose only one candidate to appear on the special election primary ballot in September.
There are 13 Republican candidates hoping to replace Stewart in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, with 11 showing up to Tuesday’s debate.
The debate was hosted by the state party, and was moderated by party Chairman Rob Axson and TV news anchor Glen Mills. The remarkably quiet audience of a couple hundred voters — they almost never clapped or heckled during the debate — attended in person at the Woods Cross High School auditorium.
A few of the candidates — including Celeste Maloy, a lawyer in Stewart’s office who received his endorsement Tuesday, and former Utah Speaker Greg Hughes — have staked it all on the convention by electing not to collect signatures if they don’t receive the party’s endorsement.
The candidates who lose at the convention who have elected to collect signatures will have until July 5 to gather 7,000 signatures to make it onto the ballot.
Given the shortened calendar, the candidates had a lot riding on their showing at the debate and meet and greet Tuesday. They jockeyed to show their conservative bona fides by speaking on how they would fight debt and support religious liberty, while also trying to differentiate themselves from one another by touting their experience in Washington, D.C., or in state elected office.
As telling as what was mentioned was what wasn’t brought up at the debate. There was little talk of President Joe Biden, the economy or inflation. The candidates spent much of their time venting about their frustration with Congress generally.
They were asked to say who they support in 2024, with a few of them, including Hughes, pointing out their strong support for former President Donald Trump. Several of the candidates said they would support either Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while a few of them — including business professor Henry C. Eyring — also mentioned how much they like entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Becky Edwards, a former state lawmaker who challenged Sen. Mike Lee in last year’s Republican primary, said she wanted a Republican nominee who could win back the White House, and said she was looking at former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Maloy declined to say who she supports, saying it was up to the voters to decide, and that she will support the eventual nominee, whoever it is.
The person elected to replace Stewart will be expected to hit the ground running, since he’s stepping down in the middle of his term. He is the most senior of the four-member Utah delegation in the House, having spent just over 10 years in office, and serves on the Intelligence and Appropriations committees.
He’s been an ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who leads a conference that holds only a slim majority in the House. Republicans in Utah agreed to rearrange the fall election calendar so the seat would not be open for long after Stewart retires in mid-September.
McCarthy is likely hoping Stewart’s seat will be filled by someone whose vote he can count on, rather than someone who may challenge him from the right like the members of the House Freedom Caucus.
But on the debt ceiling increase bill, which Stewart voted for, seven of the 11 candidates at the debate said they would have voted no on the bill.
The candidates who said they would have supported it included Maloy, Edwards, Republican National Committeeman Bruce Hough and Leeds Mayor Bill Hoster.
On the Respect for Marriage Act, which gives federal recognition to a marriage between two people as long as it’s recognized in a U.S. state, and includes religious freedom protections, only three of the candidates — Maloy, Edwards and Kathleen Anderson — said they would have supported the bill, while the others either said it did not go far enough in protecting religious liberty or it is an issue that should be left up to the states.
Related
Questions directed at the individual candidates required them to respond to some sensitive issues.
Edwards was asked about encouraging independents and Democrats to register as Republicans during her Senate run. She replied by bringing up her time serving as a Republican in the state legislature, and said she wanted all Utahns to have a voice.
State party Vice Chairman Jordan Hess was asked about his support for the new state flag. After saying he had only mentioned that the flag looked like the view out of his Washington county window, he said he had not “received any delegate questions about this,” and said he supported the party referendum that showed little support for the flag.
The 2nd Congressional District stretches from Farmington all the way down to St. George. It is larger than 14 states, Axson pointed out in one of his questions.
Another debate will be held Thursday in St. George. The Republican convention will be held Saturday at Delta High School. The special primary election will be held Sept. 5, and the special general election will be held Nov. 21.
