Republican Maloy wins special House election for Utah’s 2nd District

Republican Celeste Maloy, an attorney, is projected to win the special election for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. Maloy will replace Republican Rep. Chris Stewart, who resigned his seat in September because of his wife’s health.

Maloy — who served as Stewart’s chief congressional counsel — defeated Democratic state Sen. Kathleen Riebe and five other independent or third-party candidates.

Stewart’s seat was the last remaining vacancy to be filled in the House.

Utah’s 2nd District covers a large swath of the state and includes a small portion of Salt Lake County. Maloy will join the state’s three other House members, all Republicans. Maloy largely outperformed Riebe in fundraising, with her campaign bringing in nearly $600,000 compared with Riebe’s near $300,000 haul, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Stewart left the House in September after announcing earlier this year that he would step down from the office he has held for more than a decade to focus on his wife’s health. In a June letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), Stewart wrote that representing the 2nd District has been one of the “great honors” of his life and that he and his family were “very blessed by this experience.” Stewart did not detail the medical issues his wife, Evie, is facing.

Maloy will serve the remainder of his term representing a district that Donald Trump won in 2020 by 17 percentage points.

Maloy’s victory keeps the seat in Republican hands, helping to maintain the party’s narrow majority in the House.