Celeste Maloy seeks to fend off GOP challenge from Phil Lyman

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy is seeking reelection to her second full term in Congress, but a newly drawn congressional district with a more conservative lean could give an opening to one of her challengers, former state Rep. Phil Lyman.

Both candidates collected signatures, but neither has yet crossed the threshold to qualify for the June primary ballot, meaning this weekend’s Republican state nominating convention could decide who advances to the primary.

Maloy and Lyman have both had success with delegates in past races, but the new district makeup — thanks to a November ruling on redistricting by 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson — makes it hard to predict who has the advantage.

“This is definitely a competitive race, but it is one where Maloy starts from a position of strength,” said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. “She’s raised a significant amount of money and has the benefit from incumbency, which gives her advantages. At the same time, Lyman has shown he can energize delegates and more activist voters, so the outcome will likely hinge on which candidate can translate that base into broader support.”

Leah Murray, director of Weber State University’s Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service, noted that thanks to a likely Democratic seat in the new 1st Congressional District, the remaining seats have each gotten more conservative.

“When you pack all the (Democrats) into one spot, you get redder in the other three,” she said, while adding that dynamics at the GOP convention could be hard to predict. “Honestly, I’m unsure what’s going to happen.”

Maloy seeks second full term

Maloy took the political world by surprise in 2023 when she defeated several better-known candidates to succeed her boss, Chris Stewart, after the longtime congressman stepped down due to his wife’s health. Maloy had served as Stewart’s chief legal counsel before resigning to run for office.

But since then, Maloy has sometimes had a hard time winning over her fellow Republicans. Just a year after getting elected, in 2024, Sen. Mike Lee famously backed a GOP challenger against her. The primary election margin was razor-thin and went to a recount, but Maloy ultimately prevailed and kept the seat.

Now she faces Lyman, who is well-known among GOP faithful who often attend conventions.

“I’ve never had an easy race yet, so I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way,” Maloy told KSL. “I’m just out working hard and introducing myself to people. I know I’ve got one opponent in this race who has really high name ID, and that just means that I’ve got to make sure that they know me as well.”

But Maloy has something Lyman does not — an endorsement from President Donald Trump. He also endorsed her in 2024. Maloy said she believes the president’s backing especially matters this time, given the new 3rd Congressional District’s boundaries. It’s a large district covering parts of southern, eastern, central and northern Utah.

“I am campaigning to a lot of people who don’t know me, but they do know how they feel about President Trump,” Maloy said of the endorsement. “I think it tells people that I’m conservative, that I’m a Republican, and that people who work with me do trust me and know me and like me and want me to be back in Congress.”

But the president’s approval ratings have been falling, with just 37% of adults approving of his job performance, according to an NBC News poll. Respondents were especially critical of his handling of inflation and the war in Iran, which started nearly two months ago.

Asked what Maloy would say to voters who are wary of Trump’s handling of the economy — particularly since the start of the Iran conflict, which has led to soaring gas prices — she said they should “focus on the things we’re doing that we can control.”

“Republicans in Congress have made the tax cuts permanent,” Maloy said. “We increased the child tax credit. We increased the write-offs for small businesses. We are working hard to create an economy that makes sure Utah families are thriving, and if you have to choose between Republican economic policies and Democrat economic policies, there are really good comparisons in the last few years.”

Maloy also cited her position on “key committees that matter to Utah,” like House Natural Resources and Appropriations, as a reason for voters to send her back for another two years.

Lyman looks to turn grassroots support into a term in Congress

Lyman first gained widespread attention for leading an ATV ride through Recapture Canyon in 2014 in protest of federal land management policies. He was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing the following year, spent 10 days in jail and was ordered to pay more than $95,000 in restitution.

He was later pardoned by President Donald Trump during his first term.

Lyman was serving as a San Juan County commissioner at the time of the ATV ride, then successfully ran for the state House of Representatives in 2018, where he represented southeastern Utah for three terms.

But the last few years have been less favorable to Lyman electorally. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2021, then mounted a bid for governor in 2024, losing to Gov. Spencer Cox in the GOP primary. Lyman ended up running as a write-in candidate that fall. He refused to concede defeat and repeatedly questioned, without evidence, the legitimacy of the election results, although none of his subsequent court challenges succeeded in overturning the outcome.