The May 31 announcement that Representative Chris Stewart would retire from Congress shocked many individuals throughout our State of Utah. After visiting with him and his wife privately, I was hopeful that Mrs. Stewart was progressing enough that things could soon return to normal. Things have not turned out for the better, however, and Representative Stewart made the difficult choice to resign so he could be with his wife in Utah.
Representative Stewart served as an outstanding Congressman for our state and particularly for Southern Utah. He understood the unique challenges of living in a rural part of the state and was always willing to help with our needs. He always made time for students who came to Washington and encouraged those who desired to become a part of his staff.
Chris announced his resignation by stating, “It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve the good people of Utah in Congress. My wife and I have made so many dear friends and memories throughout our journey. I can say with pride that I have been an effective leader for my beloved home state, and I’m honored to have played an important role in guiding our nation through some troubled times. But my wife’s health concerns have made it necessary that I retire from Congress after an orderly transition can be ensured.”
“My family and I have been very blessed by this experience,” he continued. “Thank you to all those who have supported and sacrificed to help us. The fight goes on. God bless all of you, and God bless our nation.”
Representative Stewart will resign on September 15, 2023, which will necessitate a special election. This will allow him the opportunity of finishing some important things he has been working on. The state legislature held an interim session designating that the primary special election will take place on September 5, and the general election will be on November 21. These changes apply only to this election cycle.
On May 1, 2024 the election dates will go back to the dates they have traditionally been held. This change means that this Utah district will not have to be long without representation in Congress.
Thirteen Republican candidates signed up to replace Congressman Stewart. This group of candidates included: Scott Harifield, veteran; Celeste Maloy, Chris Stewart’s chief legal counsel; Quin Denning, Entrepreneur; Becky Edwards, former state representative; Jordan Hess, former Utah GOP vice chairman; Henry C. Eyring, accounting professor and rancher; Kathleen Anderson, former congressional candidate; Scott Reber, staffer for former Utah Representative Mia Love, Ty Jensen, conservative content creator; Greg Hughes, former Utah speaker of the House; Bruce Hough, Republican National Committeeman; Bill Hoster, Leads Mayor; and Remy Bubba Kush.
The Republican Nominating Convention was held June 24 in Delta, Utah. This location was approximately in the middle of the Second Congressional District and required nearly everyone in the district to travel.
In the nomination process, each candidate was allowed six minutes to speak in the first round and then a vote was held. The candidate with the lowest vote count was eliminated and the time for a second round of speeches was shortened to two minutes apiece. After the candidates spoke another vote was held and another candidate was eliminated.
After four rounds of voting, it was announced that the final vote would be held, and candidates were given one minute to speak. Some of the candidates had withdrawn and endorsed other candidates in previous rounds. At this time, candidate Jordan Hess from St. George, who had received enough votes to put him in third place, withdrew and endorsed Celeste Maloy who was in second place behind Greg Hughes at that time. When the final vote was tallied, Celeste Maloy was the winner.
Challenges have come from media personnel attempting to have Celeste Maloy disqualified as a candidate, but the Lieutenant Governor, who is in charge of elections, has declared that Maloy is qualified and the Republican Leadership says she will be their candidate. Those who signed up to gather signatures may be able to challenge her if they gain enough signatures. On the Republican side, both Becky Edwards and Bruce Hough are paying staff to gather signatures for them.
The Democratic Convention was held June 28. Utah Democrats chose state Senator Kathleen Riebe to challenge Republican Celeste Maloy. Riebe told Democrats that she believes an upset is possible because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the special election. Senator Riebe was opposed by a Democratic activist, Archie Williams, and a technology executive, Guy Warner.
Be sure to vote in the primary election on September 5, 2023, and the general election on November 21, 2023.
– by Elaine Baldwin, with contribution from Abbie Call
Feature image caption: Congressman Chris Stewart in Panguitch on August 16.
Elaine Baldwin – Panguitch
Elaine Baldwin is an Editor/Writer for The Byway. She is the wife of Dale Baldwin, and they have three children, 11 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Elaine enjoys making a difference in her world. She recently retired after teaching Drama for 20 years at Panguitch High School. She loves volunteering and finds her greatest joy serving in the Cedar City Temple each Friday.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].