Summary:
- Republican Celeste Maloy emerges as the winner in the Utah special election for the second congressional district.
- Maloy secures 58% of the vote, defeating state senator Kathleen Rebe who received 34%.
- Maloy expresses gratitude for her family and supporters, vows to work hard in Congress.
- Democratic candidate Kathleen Rebe remains optimistic about her party's progress in the state.
- Salt Lake City Mayor Aaron Mendenhall maintains a lead in the mayoral race against former mayor Rocky Anderson.
- Voters in St. George approve the renewal of a $29 million parks and trails bond.
Republican Celeste Maloy emerges as the winner in the Utah special election for the second congressional district. Maloy secured 58% of the vote, defeating state senator Kathleen Rebe who received 34%. In her victory speech, Maloy expressed gratitude for her family and supporters, vowing to work hard in Congress. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Kathleen Rebe remains optimistic about her party's progress in the state. In the Salt Lake City mayoral race, incumbent Aaron Mendenhall maintains a lead against former mayor Rocky Anderson. Additionally, voters in St. George have approved the renewal of a $29 million parks and trails bond.
Republican Celeste Maloy wins Utah special election to replace US Rep. Chris Stewart
Breaking election results tonight as clerks across the state total ballots. Yeah, we're keeping track of three main races. Of course, the big one tonight is Utah's second congressional district picking its new representation. Salt Lake City is using ranked choice to decide the next mayor, and there's a multi-million dollar parks and recreation bond on the ballot in St. George. Our crews are standing by live, keeping an eye on the candidates set to accept or concede results tonight. Let's take a quick look at the numbers before we check in.
Celeste Maloy projected to win the seat for the second district
Yeah, just about an hour ago, the Associated Press called the race for Congress Celeste Maloy. She is currently projected to win the seat for the second district. She has 58% of the vote over State Senator Kathleen Rebe with 34%. New specialist Debbie Worthen has been monitoring the Maloy campaign tonight. She joins us live from their victory party.
Excitement at Celeste Maloy's victory party
Yeah, and Debbie, I would imagine a lot of excitement out there where you're at. Yeah, excitement, and when Celeste Maloy addressed the crowd, she was heartfelt. She even got choked up after being declared the winner, and she expressed her gratitude for her family and her supporters in this race. Maloy surprised many earlier this year when she beat out Becky Edwards and Utah businessman Bruce Huff. Now, after her speech, she told KSL that this is a role she will work hard at every day. "I'm really, really grateful to be here. I know this is a really rare opportunity. Not very many people ever get to run for Congress, and even fewer of them ever win and get to have a party like this. And I don't take it lightly. I take it very seriously."
Maloy's plans for the future
Now, I asked Maloy tonight if, in six weeks, she's planning to register to run again since this is just a special one-year term. She said absolutely, without hesitation, she is not going to waste the voters' time. Dan at Dini, back to you.
Democratic candidate Kathleen Rebe remains optimistic
The Democratic candidate who lost to Maloy, Senator Kathleen Rebe, believes her party is making strides in the state. Democrats across the state are super excited. You know, we're trying to turn the state a little bit purple, and I've been working on that for a couple of years, so it's been great. Rebe remains a leader in the Utah State Senate, and she is up for reelection for that seat next year.
Salt Lake City mayor race
Now, to another big race we're following for Salt Lake City mayor. We're looking live at incumbent Aaron Mendenhall's watch party tonight. Mendenhall went into today with the support of state leaders. Yeah, the numbers agree with that support so far. Mendenhall is going up against former mayor Rocky Anderson. You can see she has a lead there, 59 percent to 34 percent. Both candidates are coming to terms with where this seems to be heading. "I am so excited to keep Salt Lake City moving forward. The returns right now are looking very strong, and we're feeling very good. I'm not conceding yet. We've got to see how this pans out, but it would take probably something close to a miracle to overcome these numbers right now."
Renewal of parks and trails bond in St. George
In Washington County, voters in St. George today weighed in on whether to renew a $29 million parks and trails bond. The renewal means it would not impact current taxes. The money would allow for new trails and upgraded parks. Tonight, results show voters are ready to keep investing in their parks. 65 percent for the parks and trails bond, 35 percent against it. Our KSL team will continue to track results from races across the state. We will bring you the latest over the air, online, and on our free KSL Plus app.
Stay tuned for more election updates and results from races across the state.