CEDAR CITY — Celeste Maloy and Bruce Hough, two of the three Republican candidates still in the running for Utah’s Second Congressional District seat, faced each other in a 90-minute debate held at Southern Utah University last Wednesday.
The event was the fifth in a series of nine scheduled debates featuring the two candidates, marking the midway point of a whirlwind tour that started on Friday, Aug. 4 in Farmington and wrapped up Monday night, Aug. 14, in Grantsville.
Maloy, who has been working as Rep. Chris Stewart’s chief legal counsel, was chosen by the Utah Republican Party as its nominee to replace the outgoing Stewart, who earlier this year announced he would be resigning due to his wife’s health concerns.
However, two other GOP hopefuls, Hough and Becky Edwards, were each able to gather enough signatures to force a primary election. Voters should start seeing their ballots in the mail as early as this week; they’ll be due on Sept. 5.
The series of debates featuring Maloy and Hough saw a handful of stops in Southern Utah, including visits to St. George, Kanab, Panguitch, Cedar City and Beaver. Edwards didn’t participate in any of the debates, as she already had other campaign events scheduled elsewhere. However, Edwards did provide her answers to selected questions following the Aug. 9 Cedar City debate, responding via text to Cedar City News after the event.
Approximately 100 people attended the Cedar City debate, which was held in an auditorium at SUU’s Sharwan Smith Student Center. The “town hall” style event was hosted by SUU’s Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service, with the center’s director Mary Bennett serving as moderator and SUU students Danielle Tebbs, Katie Warner and Tydon Bulloch each asking one of the questions.
The dozen or so questions covered a range of topics, including water conservation, infrastructure, foreign relations, suicide prevention, alternative energy sources, health care, Social Security and the charges against Donald Trump. Four additional questions were asked at the end by audience members.
When asked what their top priority would be if elected, Maloy responded by saying, “My No. 1 priority is battling back federal overreach. Almost all of the problems that people talk to me about on the campaign trail are actually the result of federal agencies doing things they don’t have the authority to do.”
“A lot of times we talk about these issues,” she added. “I think of those issues as like leaves on a tree, and federal overreach is the root. I want to kill the root.”
The federal government is way too involved in citizens’ day-to-day lives, she said.
“You vote for local elected officials, and they can’t make the decisions that local elected officials are supposed to make without going through federal permitting processes,” she added. “Most of the time, you can’t build a road. You can’t maintain power lines. You can’t put a pipeline without going through a federal process. And I want to battle that back and return power to your local elected officials.”
In citing his No. 1 priority if elected, Hough, a father of 10 children and grandfather of 22, restated his primary reason for running.
“There’s a $34 trillion debt in this country, which is completely unsustainable and threatens to rob the very promise of America, for my children and grandchildren, and your children and grandchildren as well,” Hough said.
He then spoke about the three things he deems important.
“The first one is faith,” he said. “The idea that my first duty is to God. I learned that in the Boy Scouts, I learned that in my home. We need to protect our religious liberties, not just for institutions but for each one of us. No. 2 is family. With family, we need to protect the parental rights, so that no government agency can tell you what to do or how your child ought to be taught, or what can happen to them, physically. It’s your job as a parent.
“And No. 3 is freedom. The ideas of freedom from oppressive debt, oppressive regulation, and keeping us in a place where they do their one job: the federal government’s one real job is to protect our God-given rights.”
Edwards later responded to the same question by stating via text message, “Once elected, my No. 1 priority will be to actively address the pressing issue of inflation. Inflation’s impact on everyday Utahns is undeniable, and it’s imperative that we take decisive action to reign in spending and put our fiscal house in order. Discussions about inflation must be a constant and integral part of our discussions in every committee and around every vote.”
Edwards said that while serving in Utah’s House of Representatives, she helped successfully balance the state’s budget 10 years in a row.
“I understand the process of making tough decisions to achieve a balanced budget,” she said. “It’s not easy. It requires commitment and persistence.”
Added Edwards: “I am committed to upholding accountability in our government agencies. By asking pointed questions and rigorously overseeing expenditures, we can ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. This commitment not only helps manage inflation but also ensures that our resources are optimally utilized.”
The evening’s final question related to whether it was important for the candidates to live within Utah’s Second Congressional District (see map).
Hough, a Park City resident, started off by noting there are only qualifying requirements that someone must meet in order to serve as a member of U.S. Congress.
“Under the Constitution, I can be a Congressman for this district as a 25-year-old, which I have barely made,” said the 55-year-old Hough with a smile, adding, “As a U.S. citizen, and as an inhabitant of the state on the day of the election. Those are the qualifications.”
“Where I put my head on the pillow does not define how well I serve the people in this district,” Hough added.
Although he could decide to move within the district boundary, Hough said, “I’m not going to promise you that. Because that would just be, I think, disingenuous. I’m being straight-up honest with you. Being 20 minutes (outside the district) is a lot closer than being in Virginia the last four years.”
Maloy then responded by saying:
So I do live here. I live in Cedar City. And I’ve spent my adult life in this district. I am a graduate of SUU, I moved from here to Beaver, I spent about a decade in Beaver. I went to law school at BYU. And then I moved to St. George. The last four years I have been working for Congressman Stewart representing this district.
I think, if you look at my track record, you’ll see that it’s really clear that I care about this district. I’ve spent my time and my talents and my professional career working on issues that affect you. And that matters, it mattered at the state convention. When we stood in front of the delegates and made our case, it became clear that it really mattered to the delegates where this representative lives, and I live here.
Edwards, a resident of North Salt Lake, later responded to the same question by saying, “By residing within the district boundaries, I am more than just a representative on paper; I am an integral part of the fabric of our community. I don’t just want to represent our district; I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors, advocating for their interests and ensuring that their voices are heard in the decisions that impact their lives. Living here isn’t just a checkbox; it’s the foundation of my dedication to serving the people who call this district home.”
Added Edwards: “I believe in the importance of listening to the voices of our district and carrying those concerns to the national stage.”
The 90-minute town hall debate between Maloy and Hough was streamed live on the Leavitt Center’s Facebook page, where it may be watched again at this link.
Whichever GOP candidate is the top vote-getter in the Sept. 5 primary election will advance and appear on the ballot for the upcoming general election, which is on Nov. 21 this year in Utah.
Photo Gallery
Bruce Hough and Celeste Maloy, GOP candidates for Utah's Second Congressional District, appear at a town hall debate, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Celeste Maloy, GOP candidate for Utah's Second Congressional District, speaks during a town hall debate in Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Bruce Hough, GOP candidate for Utah's Second Congressional District, speaks during a town hall debate in Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Mary Bennett, director of Southern Utah University's Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service, explains to rules prior to town hall debate featuring Celeste Maloy and Bruce Hough, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Celeste Maloy, GOP candidate for Utah's Second Congressional District, speaks during a town hall debate in Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Bruce Hough and Celeste Maloy, GOP candidates for Utah's Second Congressional District, appear at a town hall debate, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Bruce Hough, GOP candidate for Utah's Second Congressional District, speaks during a town hall debate in Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Celeste Maloy, GOP candidate for Utah's Second Congressional District, speaks during a town hall debate in Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Bruce Hough and Celeste Maloy, GOP candidates for Utah's Second Congressional District, appear at a town hall debate, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Map of Utah's Second Congressional District boundaries, courtesy of Congress.gov, St. George News
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