Utah GOP House Primary Still Too Close to Call More Than a Day After Polls Closed

Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) has a 2-percentage point lead over former U.S. Army Green Beret Colby Jenkins, with ballots from about 11 percent of precincts—as many as 8,000 votes—still uncounted early on June 27 in their too-close-to-call June 25 Utah Republican Congressional primary nail-biter.

Ms. Maloy had 47,131 votes, or 51.03 percent of the tally, compared to Mr. Jenkins’ 45,224 votes, or 48.97 percent, as of 12:10 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) on June 27, more than a day after the polls closed.

Those numbers had not changed since 5:38 p.m. MST.

The Maloy–Jenkins contest in Utah’s Congressional District 2 (CD 2), among the nation’s most closely-watched races between an incumbent and a party rival, was one of two competitive GOP House primaries on Utah’s June 25 slate.

In CD 3, state Sen. Mike Kennedy dominated a five-candidate scrum to secure the party’s November berth for the House seat being vacated by Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), who won his June 25 GOP U.S. Senate primary race to succeed the retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

Ms. Maloy was narrowly voted into the House in a November 2023 special election following Rep. Chris Stewart’s (R-Utah) resignation. A land-use attorney, she had served as Mr. Stewart’s staff counsel.

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Although endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Ms. Maloy was challenged from the right by Mr. Jenkins, a West Point graduate, former Joint Chiefs of Staff adviser, and Google executive, who claimed he’d be best suited to move a conservative agenda forward in a second Trump administration. He was endorsed by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Ms. Maloy had a significant fundraising advantage. According to her campaign’s June 5 Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing, Ms. Maloy’s campaign raised $1.4 million, spent $1.24 million, and had $167,000 in the bank. Mr. Jenkins’ campaign reported raising $378,000 and spending $296,000, with $82,200 cash on hand.

The CD 2 tally remained near-frozen for hours-long spans once 83 percent of precincts had reported late June 25.

It was not a concession, he said in later exchanges, merely a respectful gesture.

The numbers remained static for hours until the ballot count rose to 84,406, with Ms. Maloy sustaining a 3.4 percentage point lead with 86 percent of precincts reporting. At 4:15 p.m., with 89 percent of precincts reporting and nearly 90,000 ballots counted, Mr. Colby had edged within 1.8 percentage points.

By 5:38 p.m., 92,355 votes had been tallied, with 89 percent of precincts reporting, and Ms. Maloy had a 2-point lead.

The delays stemmed from ballot adjudications, primarily in Salt Lake, Davis, and Washington counties, local media reported.

Before votes are tabulated, ballots are run through scanners, converting them into “cast vote records.” The scanners discard ballots they cannot decipher and set them aside for review, or adjudication.

That process delayed about a third of ballot tabulation in Salt Lake County and about 15 percent in Davis and Washington counties into the evening.

Ms. Maloy was in Washington to vote on the proposed fiscal year 2025 Department of Homeland Security, State Department, and defense budgets by early June 26.

She departed for the capital around 9:15 p.m. MST after thanking supporters gathered in West Valley City, south of Salt Lake City.

The winner will be the overwhelming favorite to roll past Nathaniel Woodward, a Democrat, the Constitution Party’s Cassie Easley, and unaffiliated Tyler Murset in November.

New Doctor in the House

Mr. Kennedy, a physician and attorney, garnered 37.1 percent of the CD 3 tally in a race the Associated Press called at 9:14 p.m. MST.

He cruised past CircusTrix founder Case Lawrence (22.4 percent), Roosevelt Mayor J.R. Bird (17.5 percent), former Utah County Republican Party chair Stewart Peay (13.7 percent), and Utah State Auditor John Dougall (9.2 percent).

“Congratulations to Mike Kennedy on his primary election victory,” the National Republican Convention Committee said in a statement. “Utah voters have made clear they want a strong conservative representative in D.C. who will secure the southern border and fight inflation, and Mike has done just that. We have no doubt Utah will send Mike to Congress in November.”

Mr. Kennedy will face former Summit County councilman and Vietnam veteran Glenn Wright, who Mr. Curtis defeated with 66.5 percent of the vote in 2022. A Democrat hasn’t been elected in CD 3 since 1996.

Mr. Kennedy cited immigration reform, federal spending, and inflation as top issues. He said his 10 years’ experience as a legislator and as a doctor with a family practice set him apart from his GOP rivals.

He said he’ll be particularly adept at addressing Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, noting he became an attorney to better understand the programs. He said energy and federal public lands policy are also among the issues he’s eager to tackle.

“I run my medical practice and understand what it’s like to make payroll as a business owner. I’m a proven commodity for the people who are willing to hire me. I’d love to go to Washington and fight for them,” Mr. Kennedy told The Epoch Times in March.

He will work to reverse the federal government’s green energy policies, calling solar and wind “intermittent and unreliable.”

“Utah coal is some of the cleanest in the world and we’ve got vast supplies of it and we’re shutting down plants using coal and natural gas, which is shocking,” he said.

“Energy independence is fundamental.”

November slates for Utah’s other two House races are already set, although two-term incumbent Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) had to brush off a nominal challenge from electrician Paul Miller in his CD 1 primary.

The AP called the GOP CD 1 race at 8:27 p.m. MST on June 25. Mr. Moore accrued 72.4 percent of the tally. He’s projected to secure a third House stint in the fall’s election against accountant Bill Campbell, a GOP 2022 CD 1 candidate running as a Democrat, and Libertarian Daniel Cottam, a surgeon and 2020 gubernatorial candidate.

In CD 4, two-term Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) didn’t face a primary contender. The district’s November slate is set with Katrina Fallick-Wang, a Democrat, and the United Utah Party’s Vaughn Cook as heavy underdogs.