Bruce Hough officially qualified for the Republican primary ballot in the race to replace Rep. Chris Stewart in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, after gathering more than 7,000 signatures, Utah’s elections office said Wednesday.
The office of Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson announced Wednesday it had verified 7,000 signatures — the number required — out of the 11,000 submitted by the Hough campaign.
Hough is a former state GOP chair and Republican National Committee member.
In a statement to the Deseret News, Hough’s campaign said it never doubted it would make it on the primary ballot and repeated Hough’s claim that he is “the conservative in the race.”
“People want choice, they want an authentic conservative. A Republican that actually votes for a Republican president instead of voting for Democrats or not voting at all,” the statement said.
Hough will join fellow Republicans Becky Edwards and Celeste Maloy on the GOP ballot for the Sept. 5 primary election. Maloy received the Utah Republican Party’s delegate nomination in the party’s convention last month, and, after facing questions about her voter registration status prior to filing to run, had her name submitted as the party’s nominee.
Maloy did not vote in the two general elections following her move to Virginia in 2019 to work as Stewart’s chief legal counsel.
At the convention, Maloy said she is qualified for office despite a lack of experience as an elected official. “I don’t have a voting record, but I do have a track record, a track record of serving you,” she said to the delegates.
The message broadcast by Maloy at the convention and during the two GOP debates was a desire to listen to her constituents and employ her experience gained working with Stewart on 2nd District problems and as an attorney in Washington County dealing with public lands and water rights.
Edwards, who spent five terms representing North Salt Lake in the state legislature, has positioned herself as a political moderate in previous races and reportedly voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. She ran against U.S. Sen. Mike Lee in the Republican primary last year, receiving just under 30% of the vote.
During her time in the statehouse she focused on issues of air quality and housing affordability, while showing a commitment to bipartisanship.
“In my own experience, I’ve seen how getting to know and in fact love those we disagree with is where some of my greatest and most compassionate work has occurred,” Edwards said during her convention speech. “We need a leader willing to have tough conversations, someone who can turn discussions into decisive action. I am that leader.”
Because of her prior campaigns, Edwards may enjoy more name recognition than Maloy, who was endorsed by Stewart after serving as his chief legal counsel for the past four years. Maloy also received the endorsement of former Rep. Rob Bishop.
Hough will also count on having a higher name ID than Maloy as well as more resources to advertise his brand and message. Hough is the co-founder of Nutraceutical Corporation, a nutritional supplement brand, and a partner in multiple business consulting firms.
So far, Hough’s campaign has focused on his years in GOP leadership and traditional conservative values. In Hough’s convention speech, he listed the principles he would adhere to “no matter what,” including preserving the family as the “basic structure, and building block of society,” defending the Constitution and freeing the country from debt.
State GOP chair Rob Axson has said the party will host a debate before the September primary if there is demand for one.