Celeste Maloy is the projected winner in the 2nd Congressional District GOP primary in the race to replace Rep. Chris Stewart. After The Associated Press called the race for Maloy Wednesday evening, she told the Deseret News she felt like “a million bucks.” “I also feel really, really humbled. This is not an honor that I take lightly. I feel a great responsibility now to represent this district well. A lot of people have taken a big risk on me,” she said. Becky Edwards conceded the race Wednesday evening as Maloy led with 2,431 votes over Edwards, with most outstanding votes — nearly 13,000 — coming from Washington County, and a few thousand votes uncounted in Salt Lake County. “While there remain ballots to be counted, we have come up short in this race,” Edwards said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “As our campaign comes to a close, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you.” A spokesperson for the Edwards campaign said Edwards called Maloy and “thanked her for a great race.” Maloy’s other opponent, Bruce Hough, also conceded the race Wednesday. “I congratulate Celeste on her projected victory. I enjoyed our time together on the campaign trail as we debated in 11 of the counties in the district. She will provide the citizens of the 2nd district with excellent representation. I support her 100% as she moves forward to the general election,” he said in a statement to the Deseret News. Maloy said her priority over the next few months is to “unite Republican voters so that we are going strong into the general.” “It’s been a tough primary, and I want to make sure that all of the Republicans who backed someone else in this race know that I’m ready to welcome them with open arms. I want to represent them well and I want everybody to be pulling together going into the general,” she said. Maloy will face Democratic candidate Kathleen Riebe and other contenders in the Nov. 21 general election. |