Riebe, Maloy offer clear differences in 2nd Congressional District special election

Two major candidates are running for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District seat, of which the Westside is a part. Kathleen Riebe (L) is a schoolteacher. Celeste Maloy (R) is a lawyer. Photos courtesy of each campaign.

In addition to the Salt Lake City Mayoral Race, Westside voters will also pick a new representative in the United States House of Representatives. Kathleen Riebe and Celeste Maloy are running to fill the seat vacated earlier this year by Chris Stewart. The differences between Riebe and Maloy are clear.

Riebe is generally in favor of expanding government programs, including support for veterans and unions, increased access to healthcare, voting protections, and ensuring affordable housing. Maloy, conversely, favors a reduction in governmental action at all levels except for supporting religious freedom and 2nd Amendment rights, limiting abortion access, and investing in a southern border wall.

A teacher for more than 20 years, Riebe also served on the State Board of Education from 2016 to 2018, and has served as a State Senator since 2018. Her platform focuses on providing an equal, high-quality education for all children, regardless of their zip code. She also believes that the government should fund classrooms, not meddle in them. “Relentless focus and battles over the minutiae of education material is harmful to teachers and students, and a waste of taxpayer funds and educator, legislator, and administrative time,” Riebe says on her campaign website.

In addition to education, another one of Riebe’s campaign issues is finding a balance between inflation and skyrocketing interest rates. She says that while measures need to be taken to provide economic relief to Utahns, the government must reign in their spending and work towards fiscal responsibility. Speaking of the economic struggles people currently face, she says, “The cost of living has to come down, and companies that take advantage of Utahns must be held accountable.”

Riebe’s platform also looks at housing, specifically working towards the ability for everyone to achieve homeownership in the communities where they grew up, from rural Utah to the Salt Lake Valley. She also commits to fight landlords who take advantage of their tenants with inappropriate fees.

Riebe says she’ll commit to fight for unions, support veterans, and work to expand healthcare access, especially in rural America. She also says she’ll work to ensure Americans can vote freely and safely.

A native of rural Southern Utah, Celeste Maloy says she knows what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck. She says she’s running primarily to get results for Utah families and small businesses.

A graduate of Southern Utah University’s School of Agriculture, Maloy later received her law degree from Brigham Young University. She’s worked as a soil conservationist and in several legal roles for Washington County. Most recently, she served as Chief Legal Counsel in the 2nd Congressional District for former Congressman Chris Stewart.

Her platform focuses first on securing the country’s southern border. She says she will fight to finish the border wall, secure full funding for the border patrol, and work to keep drugs like fentanyl from coming into the country.

In regards to government spending, Maloy says she’ll work to lower inflation by reining in “out of control federal spending and regulations” that she claims are driving up the cost of living. She also says she’ll work to protect religious freedom, stand up against abortion, and protect the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.

With a background in agriculture, conservation, and law, Maloy says she’ll work to get Utahns more control over the land and resources they rely on to make a living. “She knows no one cares more about protecting and preserving our lands and natural resources,” she writes on her campaign website, “than the farmers and ranchers who live and work on them.”