With just one week to go until the GOP special primary to replace Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), a plurality of Republican voters in the 2nd Congressional District of Utah remain undecided on who to choose as their party’s nominee.
Roughly 32% of GOP voters say they plan to back former state Rep. Becky Edwards, giving her a significant boost over candidates Bruce Hough, who garnered 11% of the vote, and Celeste Maloy, with 9%, according to a recent poll by Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute for Politics. However, 47% of likely primary voters remain undecided, leaving the race in a state of uncertainty as ballots are returned over the next week.
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“This is such a unique race because of the timeframe and the limited ability that these candidates have had to truly get a message throughout the 2nd Congressional District,” said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute. “A consistent dynamic of a special election is there’s always a candidate or two that people don’t know very well … [but] this is a pretty big ‘don’t know’ for being so close to the election time.”
Mail-in ballots for the primary election were sent out to voters on Aug. 15, just three weeks ahead of Election Day on Sept. 5. The latest poll was conducted before ballots were sent out, making it possible several of those undecided voters are just now beginning to engage with the race, putting the candidates in a last-minute dash to win over their support.
Stewart announced he would be retiring from his House seat in late May, citing his wife’s illness as the reason for his early departure from the seat he’s held for 10 years. The six-term lawmaker will step down from Congress on Sept. 15.
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The GOP primary election next week is likely to determine which candidate will win the general election in November because the 2nd District has elected a Republican to hold the seat since 2012. As a result, the race is expected to favor the GOP candidate.
Edwards benefits from widespread name recognition, which she was able to develop after serving five terms in the state House of Representatives and launching a high-profile challenge to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) last year. If she wins, it will mark the first time a female candidate was elected to represent the 2nd District since 1997.