In a letter released by the Kane County Republican Party to all of its members, the party announced a meeting with Celeste Maloy at the Kanab Center on July 6, at 6 p.m. Maloy is the current majority leader for the Republican Candidate to assume the vacancy left by Congressman Chris Stewart, and the statement from the county party representatives calls this an “opportunity to ask questions and understand her positions on subjects important to us, the state and the country.” Maloy currently works for Congressman Stewart’s Washington D.C. office, and received around 52 percent of the vote at the Republican Convention in Delta - Greg Hughes was the runner-up with around 47 percent of the vote.
The letter mentioned media coverage of Maloy, as well as the general internet discourse regarding her; multiple sources within the Kane County Republican Party stated a need for better understanding of Maloy’s platform. “... during the convention, she never really said where she stands on the issues,” said Boyd Corry, Chairman of the Kane County Republican Party. The letter from the party goes on, “as part of our ongoing outreach, please bring your children. While this is an important election for Utah’s Second Congressional District, it paves the way for the 2024 election and beyond. Getting to know the candidates in person provides an excellent learning experience.”
Maloy’s appointment as the party candidate has not been without controversy, however; many Republicans in the area contest that there should be two candidates from the local republican convention. In a standard primary election, two candidates would be selected from the convention in the case that neither obtained a 60 percent majority - where this is a special primary, the State Chair of the Republican Party is running a single candidate rather than the standard two from such a convention. There is pressure from local party members to include a second candidate, which would likely put Hughes on the ballot next to Maloy in the primary or in a preprimary vote.
Local republican party representatives also released a list of other dates of interest along with their letter: the last day to register for online voting in the primary is August 25; the municipal and special primary election will be on September 5; the municipal and special general election will be on November 21.
In the conclusion of the letter, the Republican Party again urged attendance at the meeting on July 6, at the Kanab Center, citing it as a “unique opportunity to meet, listen and ask questions,” finishing with, “Hope to see you all there.”
