# 2023 Utah's 2nd congressional district special election

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The 2023 Utah's 2nd congressional district special election was held on November 21, 2023, to choose a new member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat became vacant following Republican representative Chris Stewart's resignation on September 15, 2023, due to his wife's ongoing health issues.
On June 7, 2023, Utah governor Spencer Cox declared that the special election would be held on November 21, 2023, with the primary being held on September 5, 2023. This was the first congressional special election in Utah since the 2017 election in the 3rd district following the resignation of Jason Chaffetz, and only the second since 1930.
Celeste Maloy, Stewart's legal counsel, won the Republican convention. Her victory was considered an upset, as former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes led every round of voting except for the final. Two other candidates, former Republican National Committee member Bruce Hough and former state representative Becky Edwards, qualified for the Republican primary via petition. Some Republicans filed a lawsuit to remove Maloy from the ballot after it was revealed that her Utah voter registration was inactive, as she had moved to Virginia while working for Stewart; however, the lawsuit was rejected.
Democrats nominated state senator Kathleen Riebe. The 2nd district is considered a safe Republican seat, with a Cook PVI of R+11. Stewart was re-elected with 59.7% of the vote in 2022. Donald Trump won the district with 56.7% of the vote in the 2020 presidential election.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

Eleven candidates competed at the Republican convention on June 24. Celeste Maloy won, guaranteeing her a spot on the primary ballot. Two candidates who lost at the convention, Becky Edwards and Bruce Hough, also qualified for the ballot by collecting signatures.
Edwards's candidacy attracted attention due to her controversial stances; she voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, disagreed with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, supported the second impeachment of Donald Trump, and challenged U.S. Senator Mike Lee in his 2022 primary.

#### Nominee

* Celeste Maloy, counsel for then-U.S. representative Chris Stewart

#### Eliminated in primary

* Becky Edwards, former state representative from HD-20 (2009–2018) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
* Bruce Hough, former Republican National Committee member, former chair of the Utah Republican Party, and father of dancers Derek Hough and Julianne Hough

#### Lost at convention

* Kathleen Anderson, communications director for the Utah Republican Party and candidate for Utah's 4th congressional district in 2020
* Henry Eyring, Duke University professor and grandson of LDS Church Second Counselor Henry B. Eyring
* Scott Hatfield, congressional staffer
* Jordan Hess, former vice chair of the Utah Republican Party (endorsed Maloy)
* Greg Hughes, former Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives (2015–2018) from HD-51 (2003–2018) and candidate for Governor of Utah in 2020

#### Withdrew during convention

* Quin Denning, construction contractor
* Bill Hoster, mayor of Leeds (endorsed Hughes)
* Scott Reber, realtor and former congressional staffer (endorsed Maloy)

#### Withdrew before convention

* Tyrone Jensen, political podcaster, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2022, and candidate for this district in 2020

#### Disqualified

* Remy Bubba Kush

#### Declined

* Sheryl Allen, former state representative from HD-19 (1994–2011)
* Gil Almquist, Washington County commissioner
* Kathleen Anderson, communications director for the Utah Republican Party and candidate for Utah's 4th congressional district in 2020
* Robert Axson, chair of the Utah Republican Party (2023–present)
* Brad Bonham, entrepreneur
* Walt Brooks, state representative from HD-75 (2016–present)
* Derek Brown, former chair of the Utah Republican Party (2019–2021) and former state representative from HD-49 (2011–2014)
* Daniel McCay, state senator from SD-18 (2019–present)
* Kim Coleman, former state representative from HD-42 (2015–2021) and candidate for the 4th district in 2020
* Ben Horsley, chief of staff for the Granite School District
* Victor Iverson, chair of the Washington County Commission
* Carson Jorgensen, former chair of the Utah Republican Party (2021–2023)
* Mike Kennedy, state senator from SD-21 (2021–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018
* Derek Miller, president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
* Aimee Winder Newton, Salt Lake County councilor from the 3rd district (2014–present) and candidate for Governor of Utah in 2020
* Corey Norman, chief of staff to U.S. Representative John Curtis
* Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics
* John Pike, former mayor of St. George
* Sean Reyes, Utah Attorney General (2013–present)
* Erin Rider, attorney, former staffer for then-U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, and candidate for this district in 2022
* Adam Snow, Washington County commissioner
* Trent Staggs, mayor of Riverton and nominee for mayor of Salt Lake County in 2020 (running for U.S. Senate)
* Bob Stevenson, Davis County commissioner and candidate for Utah's 1st congressional district in 2020
* Todd Weiler, state senator from SD-08 (2012–present)
* Thomas Wright, former chair of the Utah Republican Party and candidate for Governor of Utah in 2020

### Endorsements

Local officials
* Bill Hoster, mayor of Leeds and candidate for this seat in 2023
U.S. Cabinet officials
* David Bernhardt, former United States Secretary of the Interior (2019–2021)
U.S. representatives
* Rob Bishop, UT-01 (2003-2021)
* Chris Stewart, UT-02 (2013-2023)
Individuals
* Jordan Hess, former vice chair of the Utah Republican Party and candidate for this seat in 2023 (Eliminated at convention)
* Scott Reber, realtor, former congressional staffer, and candidate for this seat in 2023 (Eliminated at convention)
Individuals
* Scott Hatfield, former candidate for this seat (Eliminated at convention)

### Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of August 16, 2023 :
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Becky Edwards (R) | $678,975 | $450,629 | $228,346 |
| Bruce Hough (R) | $538,700 | $453,801 | $84,899 |
| Celeste Maloy (R) | $307,308 | $217,563 | $89,745 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission ||||

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Becky Edwards | Bruce Hough | Celeste Maloy | Undecided |
| Dan Jones & Associates | August 7–14, 2023 | 471 (RV) | ± 4.51% | 32% | 11% | 9% | 47% |

### Pre-convention debate

Pre-convention debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Kathleen Anderson | Quin Denning | Becky Edwards | Henry Eyring | Scott Hatfield | Jordan Hess | Bill Hoster | Bruce Hough | Greg Hughes | Celeste Maloy | Scott Reber |
| 1 | Jun. 20, 2023 | KTVX | Rob Axson Glen Mills | YouTube (part 1) YouTube (part 2) | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |

### Convention results

Republican convention results :
| Candidate | First ballot | First ballot | Second ballot | Second ballot | Third ballot | Third ballot | Fourth ballot | Fourth ballot | Fifth ballot | Fifth ballot |
| Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| Celeste Maloy | 178 | 24.1% | 199 | 27.0% | 210 | 28.6% | 244 | 33.2% | 380 | 52.1% |
| Greg Hughes | 211 | 28.5% | 240 | 32.6% | 259 | 35.2% | 300 | 40.9% | 349 | 47.9% |
| Jordan Hess | 149 | 20.1% | 163 | 22.1% | 169 | 23.0% | 155 | 21.1% | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Henry Eyring | 60 | 8.1% | 54 | 7.3% | 46 | 6.3% | 35 | 4.8% | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Bill Hoster | 47 | 6.4% | 33 | 4.5% | 30 | 4.1% | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn |
| Becky Edwards | 37 | 5.0% | 27 | 3.7% | 21 | 2.9% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Kathleen Anderson | 14 | 1.9% | 13 | 1.8% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Bruce Hough | 14 | 1.9% | 8 | 1.1% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Quin Denning | 13 | 1.8% | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn |
| Scott Reber | 13 | 1.8% | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn | Withdrawn |
| Scott Hatfield | 4 | 0.5% | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated | Eliminated |

### Post-convention debate

Post-convention debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Becky Edwards | Bruce Hough | Celeste Maloy |
| 1 | Aug. 15, 2023 | KSL-TV | | YouTube | A | P | P |

### Primary results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Celeste Maloy | 36,288 | 38.8 |
| | Republican | Becky Edwards | 30,560 | 32.7 |
| | Republican | Bruce Hough | 26,562 | 28.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 93,410 | 100.0 |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Kathleen Riebe, state senator from SD-15 (2019–present)

#### Lost in convention

* Guy Warner, tech executive
* Archie Williams, heavy equipment operator and perennial candidate

#### Declined

* Ben McAdams, former U.S. representative from Utah's 4th congressional district (2019–2021)
* Kael Weston, former U.S. State Department official, nominee for this district in 2020, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
* Nick Mitchell, inventor, small business owner, and nominee for this district in 2022

### Convention results

Democratic convention results :
| Candidate | First ballot | First ballot |
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Kathleen Riebe | 243 | 85.56% |
| Guy Warner | 36 | 12.67% |
| Archie Williams III | 5 | 1.76% |

### Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of August 16, 2023 :
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Kathleen Riebe (D) | $94,451 | $48,548 | $45,902 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission ||||

## Third-party and independent candidates
### United Utah Party
#### Nominee

* January Walker, cybersecurity professional and nominee for Utah's 4th congressional district in 2022

##### Lost convention

* Stone Fonua, tax preparer and perennial candidate

##### Convention results

United Utah convention results :
| Candidate | First ballot |
| January Walker | 81% |
| Stone Fonua | 19% |

### Libertarian Party
#### Nominee

* Bradley Garth Green, plumbing supply store owner and son of Cedar City mayor Garth Green

### Constitution Party
#### Nominee

* Cassie Easley, vice chair of the Utah Constitution Party and nominee for this district in 2022

### Independents
#### Declared

* Joseph Buchman, college professor, former chair of the Utah Libertarian Party, and perennial candidate
* Perry T. Myers

## General election
### Debate

2023 Utah's 2nd congressional district special election debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Celeste Maloy | Kathleen Riebe |
| 1 | Oct. 26, 2023 | KUED Utah Debate Commission | Mary Weaver | YouTube | P | P |

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Safe R | July 18, 2023 |
| Inside Elections | Solid R | June 7, 2023 |
| DDHQ | Safe R | September 4, 2023 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Celeste Malloy (R) | Kathleen Riebe (D) | Brad Green (L) | Other | Undecided |
| Lighthouse Research | September 26 – October 6, 2023 | 528 (RV) | ± 4.3% | 43% | 34% | 6% | 8% | 9% |

### Results

2023 Utah's 2nd congressional district special election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Celeste Maloy | 89,866 | 57.07 | −2.64 |
| | Democratic | Kathleen Riebe | 52,949 | 33.62 | −0.39 |
| | Libertarian | Bradley Green | 4,528 | 2.88 | N/A |
| | Constitution | Cassie Easley | 3,678 | 2.34 | −0.62 |
| | United Utah | January Walker | 2,856 | 1.81 | −1.51 |
| | Independent | Perry Myers | 2,276 | 1.45 | N/A |
| | Independent | Joseph Buchman | 1,281 | 0.81 | N/A |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 39 | 0.02 | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 157,473 | 100.00 | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
By county :
| County | Celeste Maloy Republican | Celeste Maloy Republican | Kathleen Riebe Democratic | Kathleen Riebe Democratic | Bradley Green Libertarian | Bradley Green Libertarian | Cassie Easley Constitution | Cassie Easley Constitution | January Walker United Utah | January Walker United Utah | Perry Myers Independent | Perry Myers Independent | Joseph Buchman Independent | Joseph Buchman Independent | Margin | Margin | Total votes |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes |
| Beaver | 1,428 | 85.56% | 147 | 8.81% | 31 | 1.86% | 26 | 1.56% | 9 | 0.54% | 17 | 1.02% | 10 | 0.60% | 1,281 | 76.80% | 1,668 |
| Davis | 17,221 | 61.10% | 8,090 | 28.70% | 512 | 1.82% | 507 | 1.80% | 602 | 2.14% | 287 | 1.02% | 240 | 0.85% | 9,131 | 33.25% | 27,459 |
| Garfield | 1,189 | 77.71% | 244 | 15.95% | 24 | 1.57% | 27 | 1.76% | 9 | 0.59% | 25 | 1.63% | 8 | 0.52% | 945 | 61.93% | 1,526 |
| Iron | 9,308 | 73.29% | 1,760 | 13.86% | 801 | 6.31% | 410 | 3.23% | 181 | 1.43% | 95 | 0.75% | 95 | 0.75% | 7,548 | 59.67% | 12,650 |
| Juab | 104 | 58.43% | 47 | 26.40% | 5 | 2.81% | 9 | 5.06% | 1 | 0.56% | 10 | 5.62% | 1 | 0.56% | 57 | 32.20% | 177 |
| Kane | 1,475 | 68.99% | 500 | 23.39% | 41 | 1.92% | 42 | 1.96% | 9 | 0.42% | 58 | 2.71% | 9 | 0.42% | 975 | 45.69% | 2,134 |
| Millard | 2,939 | 83.95% | 277 | 7.91% | 81 | 2.31% | 92 | 2.63% | 31 | 0.89% | 54 | 1.54% | 14 | 0.40% | 2,662 | 76.32% | 3,488 |
| Piute | 553 | 89.92% | 38 | 6.18% | 5 | 0.81% | 11 | 1.79% | 3 | 0.49% | 4 | 0.65% | 1 | 0.16% | 515 | 83.74% | 615 |
| Salt Lake | 12,239 | 26.86% | 30,222 | 66.33% | 880 | 1.93% | 467 | 1.03% | 1,060 | 2.33% | 296 | 0.65% | 394 | 0.86% | −17,983 | −39.47% | 45,558 |
| Sevier | 4,061 | 83.96% | 424 | 8.77% | 98 | 2.03% | 123 | 2.54% | 44 | 0.91% | 38 | 0.79% | 34 | 0.70% | 3,637 | 75.43% | 4,822 |
| Tooele | 6,844 | 59.14% | 2,628 | 22.71% | 418 | 3.61% | 356 | 3.08% | 365 | 3.15% | 737 | 6.37% | 189 | 1.63% | 4,216 | 36.54% | 11,537 |
| Washington | 31,866 | 70.98% | 8,369 | 18.64% | 1,620 | 3.61% | 1,594 | 3.55% | 537 | 1.20% | 629 | 1.40% | 281 | 0.63% | 23,497 | 52.34% | 44,896 |
| Wayne | 639 | 70.45% | 203 | 22.38% | 12 | 1.32% | 14 | 1.54% | 5 | 0.55% | 26 | 2.87% | 5 | 0.55% | 436 | 48.23% | 904 |
| Total | 89,866 | 57.07% | 52,949 | 33.62% | 4,528 | 2.88% | 3,678 | 2.34% | 2,856 | 1.81% | 2,276 | 1.45% | 1,281 | 0.81% | 36,917 | 23.45% | 157,434 |