Republican Celeste Malloy defeated state Sen. Kathleen Reeve, a self-described moderate, in Utah’s special election Tuesday night, filling the last remaining open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Associated Press called the race at 8:36 p.m. local time.
The election in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District was prompted by the resignation of a former Republican congressman. chris stewartleft Congress in September due to his wife’s unspecified illness.
Mr. Malloy, who served as Mr. Stewart’s chief legal adviser in Congress, Won a three-way primary election That month.
As a candidate, Mr. Malloy touted his roots in rural southern Utah, which is largely a district that leans toward the former president. donald trumpclaimed that the numerous charges currently pending against him were politically motivated.
“I’m very happy to see someone come out of this primary that represents rural southern Utah. I think the time is now and everyone is ready for it,” Malloy said after winning the primary. Told.
But Liebe insisted this race was an opportunity for a turnaround. for the Democratic Partydrawing on his experience as a school teacher, argues that people in the community are “ready for change.”
In an interview with the Deseret News in August, Liebe said: national debt is increasingvowed to join the fiscally conservative Blue Dog coalition if elected.
“I think making very rational decisions and being very moderate-minded is what will best serve us,” she told the outlet.
Malloy is currently the front-runner in the special election, considering Stewart has won by double-digit margins in the six elections in which he has been the Republican candidate in the district since 2012. .
A Republican victory would give them additional cushion against narrow votes.