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SALT LAKE CITY — Celeste Maloy was declared the winner of Tuesday's special election for Utah's 2nd Congressional District seat, defeating Kathleen Riebe, according to the Associated Press.
Maloy will be only the fifth woman to represent the state in the U.S. House of Representatives. After she is sworn in, there will be new records for the number of women in Congress, 151; women in the House, 126; Republican women in Congress, 43; and Republican women in the House, 34, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
At her election night party at the Utah Trucking Association in West Valley City, Maloy promised to represent all voters in the district, whether they voted for her or not.
"I know that not everyone in the 2nd District voted for me, and I know I haven't met everybody in the 2nd District — although I've got to be getting pretty close — but I want everybody in the 2nd District to know that I really do want to be their representative," she said. "I want them to know me; I want them to know how to get ahold 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."
"I'm really grateful, I'm really humbled, I'm really excited, and I am done giving a speech," she added.
In a statement, Riebe said she spoke with Maloy and "wished her the best."
"I look forward to her advocacy on behalf of our state at the national level and the pressing issues of water, affordable housing, and sustainable growth that face all Utahns," she said. "I am confident that the 2nd 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. I know I will continue my work toward building my party and restoring balance to our state."
Maloy received congratulatory notes from the National Republican Congressional Committee, as well as from one soon-to-be colleague, Rep. John Curtis.
"As the dean of Utah's House delegation, I am pleased to welcome Congresswoman-elect Celeste Maloy to Congress," the Utah Republican posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Celeste brings a huge amount of knowledge to fight for our rural communities and ensure we continue to push back against federal overreach. I look forward to her taking the oath of office and getting to work for Utahns."
Initial returns were favorable to Maloy in several counties while Riebe earned support from nearly two-thirds of voters in Salt Lake County, according to the first round of ballots. Maloy's strong early showings in Davis and Washington counties leave her with a majority of the more than 100,000 votes counted so far.
Maloy led all challengers for the seat with over 57% of the vote, as of 9:06 p.m.
Tuesday's general election is the culmination of a truncated election season to replace former Rep. Chris Stewart, who stepped down in September. After his resignation announcement, state lawmakers postponed the general municipal elections by two weeks to coincide with the special election in Utah's 2nd Congressional District just days before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Maloy, a Republican who served as chief legal counsel to Stewart, won a three-way GOP primary in September to advance to the general election, while Democrat Riebe won at her party convention. The district leans conservative, and Riebe has tried to cast herself as fiscally minded and moderate, in contrast to what her campaign says is a Republican Party that has strayed from its small government roots.
After winning a surprise victory at the GOP convention earlier this year, Maloy — who lists a permanent residence in Cedar City — has appealed to rural voters and leaned on her experience as a congressional staffer to argue that she would enter Congress with an existing knowledge of its inner workings.
Several third-party candidates and unaffiliated challengers also entered the race, including those from the United Utah Party, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party.
Contributing: Brigham Tomco
