FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Utah Republican Party Submits Convention Nominee to Lieutenant Governor
Today, the Utah Republican Party (URP) submitted the name of the June 24, 2023 Special Election Convention winner to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office: Celeste Maloy. You may view our letter to Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson here.
We are grateful to the Second Congressional District delegates who came to Delta, Utah on June 24 to participate in this important process and on short notice. Almost 80% of CD2 delegates showed up – more CD2 delegates than attended the April Organizing Convention – and they stayed for five rounds of voting.
Over the past week and a half many questions and assertions have arisen regarding the process we have followed and the eligibility of Ms. Maloy to participate in the Party’s nominating convention. We have spent the last week and a half investigating every angle, and every piece of information that was forwarded to us. We have consulted with Utah Legislative leadership, the Lieutenant Governor, attorneys, the UTGOP State Central Committee, and many others. Given the importance of the matter and our own desire to abide by our Party bylaws, we opted to take the time to leave no stone unturned.
Our bylaws are clear: Ms. Maloy is the convention nominee. She was chosen by the delegates at our convention. Per the Utah Republican Party’s bylaws, we are required to submit the name of our convention nominee to the Lieutenant Governor’s office. Contrary to what has been circulating online or elsewhere, we are not at liberty to withhold the name, send the name of another candidate who did not win, send more than one name, or disqualify the winner. Unlike typical convention processes, State law allows us only to send one candidate in the case of special elections for vacant US House seats. Any formal challenges to her eligibility, per Robert’s Rules of Order, would have had to have been made prior to the election. None were filed.
We also recognize there is a dispute between the Legislative branch and the LG in the Executive branch that may only be settled by an appeal to the Judicial branch or further Legislative action. The Legislature’s question of eligibility under state law is not within our ability to settle. The LG’s office is the primary legal officer over Utah elections. It is charged with maintaining current and accurate data and, based upon that data, certifying the eligibility of each individual who files as a candidate. The parties rely upon the LG’s office to perform these duties and transmit accurate information back to the parties. The parties have no independent means of fully determining eligibility compliance under state law. The information provided by the Legislature was not generally available to the public, including voter registration status, which prevented the candidates, the delegates and the Party from verifying this information themselves.
We have had consistent conversations with the Legislature over the last six weeks, which will continue, about limiting us to one candidate and other issues. We will work with the legislature to fix gaps, inconsistencies, and problems in the law around election processes. We are encouraged by the growing support in the Legislature to address these issues.
Any further determinations of process or eligibility of Celeste’s candidacy are not within the Party’s purview. At this time, the role of the Party is to rally behind our convention nominee, Celeste Maloy, and support her pathway to victory. We hope you will join us.
About Celeste Maloy
Celeste is a graduate of Southern Utah University with a degree in Agriculture. She received her law degree from Brigham Young University. She began her career in public service as a Soil Conservationist at the United States Department of Agriculture in Beaver, Utah.
After finishing her law degree, Celeste went on to serve as a Deputy County Attorney in Washington County, a Public Lands Attorney for the Utah Association of Counties, and a Staff Attorney for the Washington County Water Conservancy District. Most recently, she has been serving the people of Utah’s Second Congressional District in her role as Chief Legal Counsel to Representative Chris Stewart.
####
Contact:
Stafford Palmieri Sievert
Secretary, Utah Republican Party
801-203-0824
[email protected]