Republican Celeste Maloy spent just over $500,000 in her successful quest to succeed Chris Stewart in Congress. The former staffer in Stewart’s office outspent her Democratic opponent nearly 2-1 in cruising to the win in last month’s Second Congressional District special election.
Maloy leveraged her time in Washington, D.C., into big financial contributions from industry groups and political action committees. One out of every three dollars Maloy raised during her campaign came from those groups, according to recent Federal Elections Commission filings. She reeled in $10,000 from leadership PACs from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. She also received $5,000 from the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List PAC.
Most freshman members of Congress undergo a new member orientation after being first elected. Maloy did not have that luxury coming in as a mid-term replacement. She credited her work as Stewart’s legal counsel for getting her up to speed quickly when she was sworn in less than a month ago. She says even that did not fully prepare her for what she would face on the job.
“I’m learning that what my boss was doing all day was not as connected to what I was doing all day as I thought,” Maloy told Punchbowl News.
(Stephanie Scarbrough | AP) From left, Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, Speaker of House Mike Johnson, R-La., Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah., and Rep. Burges Owens, R-Utah, stand for a portrait during ceremonial swearing in ceremony for Maloy to the House of Representatives, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
According to the FEC reports, Maloy’s biggest campaign spending went to advertising. Over half of the $523,737 Maloy spent on her winning campaign went toward advertising expenses. Her next biggest expense, fundraising consulting, accounted for just 8% of her spending.
Nearly three-fourths of Maloy’s overall spending went toward securing the GOP nomination. She defeated fellow Republicans Becky Edwards and Bruce Hough in the September primary election. Hough loaned his unsuccessful primary campaign nearly $400,000, while Edwards put $300,000 of her own money into the losing effort.
Maloy’s campaign reported having $226,000 in cash left over from the 2023 election, which will help her defend her newly won seat next year. St. George Republican Colby Jenkins is preparing to challenge her for the GOP nomination next year. Candidates can file to run beginning January 2.
Democrat Kathleen Riebe raised $290,622 and spent $260,950 on her special election campaign. Most of her contributions came from individual donors, with just $6,600 in her contributions from political action committees.
According to Open Secrets data, candidates and outside groups spent $1.9 million in total on the special election.
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