Utah Republicans in the 2nd Congressional District will cast their ballots Tuesday in the special primary election to replace Rep. Chris Stewart in Congress.
The unexpected, and hastily scheduled, special election comes after Stewart announced in late May that he was retiring, citing health concerns with his wife. The Salt Lake Tribune first reported that Stewart was planning to leave Washington. Stewart was reelected to his sixth term in Congress last fall.
The congressman’s resignation set off a scramble in the state to elect a new Utahn to the delegation. Two weeks after Stewart’s announcement, the Legislature met in a special session to fund and schedule the special election, setting the primary on Sept. 5 and a general election on Nov. 21.
Utah’s two major political parties also hosted nominating conventions to decide their nominees in the race.
Republicans chose Celeste Maloy, a former Stewart staffer who received the endorsement of the outgoing congressman. Former state lawmaker Becky Edwards and businessman Bruce Hough also qualified for Tuesday’s GOP primary by securing their spots on the ballot through signature gathering.
Democrats met virtually to nominate educator and state legislator Kathleen Riebe.
Utah Republicans who haven’t registered to vote still have time and can register at their polling location.
The Tribune will be covering Tuesday’s primary election. Return here for those results. It’s expected that the state will start publishing results shortly at 8 p.m., but a decision will likely come later.
This story is breaking and will be updated throughout the day.