Celeste Maloy wins 2nd Congressional District race; Kathleen Riebe concedes

Republican nominee Celeste Maloy beat Democratic challenger state Sen. Kathleen Riebe in a special congressional election to replace Maloy’s old boss, former Rep. Chris Stewart, who resigned earlier this year.

The race was called Tuesday night by The Associated Press after initial election results showed Maloy with a considerable lead in the reliably red 2nd Congressional District, which extends from Farmington through west Salt Lake City and down to St. George, encompassing nearly all of western Utah.

Maloy led Riebe 57%-34%, as of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. Overall turnout for the unusually timed special election, just two days before Thanksgiving, stood at less than 30% districtwide before polls opened Tuesday morning, according to Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson.

Maloy’s winning margin was greater than 30 percentage points in every 2nd District county except for the western portion of Salt Lake County, which leaned toward Riebe 66%-27%.

Excitement dominated the gathering of Maloy supporters in the packed reception room at the Utah Trucking Association’s headquarters in West Valley City. Maloy announced her general election victory to shouts and applause from a crowd of state GOP officials, young families and county delegates wearing red hats.

“I want everybody in the 2nd District to know that I really do want to be their representative,” she said, fighting back tears. “I want them to know me, I want them to know how to get a hold of me and I want them to be able to say, ‘That’s my representative and I know she cares about the things that are happening in my town.’ And that’s the promise I’m willing to make.”

Maloy’s remarks were preceded by a brief speech given by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

“I’m so excited for her to represent us. Our state needs her right now, but our country needs her even more,” Cox said.

Riebe, a state lawmaker and full-time school teacher, was watching the results from Laziz Kitchen in downtown Salt Lake City with a handful of friends and supporters. After congratulating Maloy over the phone, Riebe issued a statement conceding the race as soon as it was called.

“The voters of the Second District have made their decision,” Riebe said in the statement. “I am confident that the Second District’s new representative understands the need for functional government that works for the people, and will advocate tirelessly to keep our country, state, and democracy strong.”

The whirlwind special election to fill Stewart’s vacant seat saw some big names in Utah politics throw their hat in the ring, each with a different strategy to win over 2nd District voters. However, none were able to prevent Maloy, with her focus on the district’s rural and southern counties, from inheriting her old boss’s office in D.C. and shaking the precedent for what it takes to succeed in a Utah congressional race.

An unlikely success story

Raised in a single-wide mobile home in a tiny Nevada town, Maloy often describes the incredulity she, and her family and friends, sometimes felt about her run to fill one of the nation’s top leadership positions.

“People from small towns, people who went to Utah universities, people who don’t have shiny pedigrees or impressive family names, we just assume that someone else is going to have to take up this mantle and we hope they’ll do a good job and so we stay out a lot of times,” Maloy told the Deseret News shortly after announcing her victory. “I never thought I would do this, but now that I’m doing it, I hope that people like me will see that they can do it too. There’s no reason to sit back and hope someone else will do it well.”

Maloy served as Stewart’s chief legal counsel for the last four years following nearly two decades working in rural Utah as a soil conservationist and public lands attorney. Stewart endorsed Maloy shortly after announcing his resignation to spend more time with his wife, which helped Maloy as she ran on a traditional conservative message of cutting spending and curtailing federal bureaucracies.

Previously a relatively unknown face in Utah political circles, Maloy’s rapid rise to become the state’s newest U.S. representative followed a string of victories against some of Utah’s most well-known political figures.

Maloy came away with a surprise victory in June’s state Republican Party nominating convention, beating former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes for the top spot. This win gave Maloy momentum going into September’s GOP primary election, which she won against better-funded opponents — former U.S. Senate candidate Becky Edwards and former state GOP chair Bruce Hough — with strong support from southern and rural counties.

Improving representation of Utahns living outside of the Wasatch Front has been a focal point for Maloy, who has emphasized the importance of states’ rights while showcasing her knowledge of public land policy and mostly avoiding partisan attacks against her Democratic opponent.

Maloy centered her campaign around dozens of one-on-one visits with local community and county leaders over the last six months. And this approach has had a winning return on investment, according to former Utah GOP Chair Derek Brown.

“I think a lot of people questioned whether it would work at the beginning, simply because she spent a lot of time in those rural areas and in Washington and Iron county and everybody thought the real bulk of the population is in Salt Lake and Davis county. And that was her strategy and it paid off,” Brown said. “I think what it shows is from here on out, if Washington and Iron county are in your district you’ve got to pay attention to them, you’ve got to spend time there and you can’t win without them.”

The state party’s current chair, Robert Axson, also highlighted Maloy’s rural background and emphasis in an official statement.

“While she is Utah’s first member of Congress not from the Wasatch Front in many decades, all of Utah will now undoubtedly benefit from her experience, background and unique perspective that she will bring to her new role representing our state and the Republican Party,” Axson said.

Early controversy

Following the GOP convention, it was publicized that Maloy had not voted in two consecutive elections after moving to Virginia to work for Stewart. This automatically placed Maloy on a list to be removed from state voter rolls and put her status as a registered Republican — and viable candidate — in question.

The potential problem appeared to be resolved after Henderson, Utah’s top election official, determined Maloy had “satisfied all lawful requirements and constitutional qualifications” in filing for office and Axson submitted Maloy’s name to the lieutenant governor’s office.

However, the episode, which included a lawsuit from a fellow GOP candidate, left a bad impression on some Republican voters, made worse by ads from her opponents focusing on how she hadn’t lived in the district since beginning to work for Stewart.

Despite these controversies, Maloy performed well in the district’s most conservative counties, which carried her to a win.

Maloy will now fill the remainder of Stewart’s term before facing reelection next November.

National attention on Utah’s 2nd District

The 2nd District’s special election to fill Stewart’s seat has drawn national attention during a time when a narrow Republican majority in the House has made Speaker Mike Johnson’s hold on his conference ever more tenuous amid repeated battles over annual spending bills and impeachment procedures.

“Leadership will be keenly honed in on this race,” former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz told the Deseret News in June. “They want somebody they can work with, and when the votes are close, go get their vote. With such a slim majority this is even more pivotal to how votes will ultimately go.”

Maloy has said throughout her campaign she aims to secure positions on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Armed Services, where she hopes to immerse herself in policy while avoiding attention-seeking behavior that would get her on TV.