DELTA — The Utah Republican Party has chosen Celeste Maloy as the party’s candidate to replace outgoing Republican Congressman Chris Stewart.
Maloy secured the nomination with 52.1% of the delegate vote Saturday evening in Delta, where the the Utah GOP chose to hold a special nominating convention.
The convention held in the small farming town came on the heels of two debates had in Woods Cross and St. George over the last that introduced delegates to the candidates seeking to replace Stewart.
Maloy, who lives in Cedar City, worked as Stewart’s chief legal counsel since 2019. Prior to that she was a deputy county attorney for Washington County and leadership roles in the Washington County Republican Party.
Earlier this week, Maloy secured the endorsement of her former boss.
“I made the decision to step down from Congress in the best interest of my family,” Stewart said in a statement Tuesday. “Today, I couldn’t be more proud to make this decision in the best interest of Utah: I enthusiastically and wholeheartedly endorse Celeste Maloy for Congress.”
Stewart announced on May 31 that he was resigning from Congress due to concerns related to his wife’s health. This led to several filing to fill the seat from the Utah Republican Party, and some in other parties, to vie for the seat he will vacate Sept. 5.
In order to accommodate the timing of the congressman’s departure, and reduce the time his seat is vacant, the Governor’s Office and Utah Legislature moved the dates of this year’s primary and general election to Sept. 5 and Nov. 21 respectively.
In the wake of Stewart’s announcement a glut of candidates filed to run for office, including many from Southern Utah. Among those hailing from the southwestern part of the state are Maloy, former Utah GOP vice-chair Jordan Hess and Leeds mayor Bill Hoster.
During Saturday’s convention, Maloy faced 11 candidates, rather than an anticipated 13. The Utah GOP noted on Twitter that one candidate failed to meet “the requirements of the party to file for convention.” Another, Ty Jensen, withdrew from the race.
After hearing from the candidates, Republican delegates engaged in five rounds of voting until Maloy was able to gain over 50% of their vote.
Round 5 results. Celeste is the convention nominee for the #cd2 seat.
Celeste Maloy: 380 (52.1%)
Greg Hughes: 349 (47.9%)— UtahGOP (@UtahGOP) June 25, 2023
Leading up to the final round, former Utah House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate Greg Hughes was leading. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Hess, who was eliminated in the fourth round in third place, threw his support behind Maloy. At the end of the night, Maloy’s 52.1% of the vote topped Hughes’ 47.9%.
Despite having lost the party nomination, some Republican candidates, such as former Utah Rep. Becky Edwards, Bruce C. Hough, Scott Hatfield and Scott Reber may still appear on the primary ballot if they are able collect the required 7,000 signatures by July 7.
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