The Utah Republican Party supported Maloy, who spent the majority of her campaign promoting herself as the sole representative from rural southern Utah, which ultimately won over voters.
In a statement released on Wednesday night, Maloy stated that he would represent the entire district as their representative in Congress.
Having used her name ID during a failed challenge against Trump ally Sen. Mike Lee, Edwards has been highly critical of the former president. She denounced her conservative beliefs and faced criticism for voting for President Joe Biden in 2020. Although she later admitted to supporting him, it didn’t seem like it would resonate with voters who ultimately voted for Trump in the 2020 election.
The district of UT-02 is broad, including Salt Lake City, which is the political party of Donald Trump, and much of rural areas in the southern and western parts of the state. It was redistricted after the most recent election cycle to become somewhat more open to Democrats, with Trump leading the district by approximately 17 points.
Throughout his career, Trump has not been the most popular candidate in Utah. Sen. Mitt Romney is one of Trump’s top opponents, while Maloy may give him a break as he contemplates running for reelection in 2024 following his defeat of Edwards.
Maloy’s campaign was marred by controversy when her opponents tried to evict her from the ballot as she was not registered as a Republican in Utah when she ran for the seat.
The district’s makeup suggests that Maloy has a clear path to victory in the Nov. 21 general election, where she will face off against Democratic state Sen. Kathleen Riebe and some third-party candidates.