Celeste Maloy grew up in a tiny town in Nevada with five siblings in a single-wide trailer – now she’s running for Congress and believes her humble beginnings will serve her well in representing the Second Congressional District. Maloy is running to fill the seat left vacant by Chris Stewart when he announced his retirement due to his wife’s health.

“As I grew up I knew I’d have to pay for college,” said Maloy. “I was in FFA in high school and I entered a contest at Southern Utah University and won a scholarship if I majored in agriculture. I knew where I was going to go and how I was going to pay for it.”

Maloy got an internship with the USDA. “My mother always said to find a way to serve and if you work hard you’ll have a good career.”

She went to work as a Soil Conservationist at the United States Department of Agriculture in Beaver. “I thought I’d retire from the agency,” said Maloy. “It was a good plan I thought I had made. I was there for 10 years. I liked the work but there was the same problem with land or water policy – you can’t change it.”

Maloy decided to switch tracks and went to BYU Law School. “That’s the way I could change policy. I learned that’s where policies get made.”

When Stewart offered her a job as his legal counsel she turned him down but changed her mind when a friend told her she was crazy. “I worked on the policy side. I loved it.”

His resignation upset all of the things going for these projects, the national monuments, cutting through red tape, she said. “I thought it would all be falling by the wayside. It made me sad.”

With Stewart’s encouragement, Maloy decided to run for his seat. “I’m running against people who got signatures but I won in the delegation,” she said. “I’m the delegate's pick. I think I’m relatable and someone they can identify with. My message resonated with them.”

Maloy would like to be on the Natural Resource Committee if she’s elected and deal with land management and water issues. “It’s a natural fit for me,” she said. “I’d also like to be on the Armed Services Committee. Utah is vulnerable on defense issues.”

She also intends to address spending and government overreach. “I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing statutory authority so I know how to do it. If Congress creates agencies to do something, getting rid of it is hard to do. I know members of Congress, I know where to start.”

Maloy said her main goal is to represent the district as a whole. “My life has been in southern Utah but I will represent Davis, Salt Lake County and Tooele as well. I want the district to have good representation where constituents can pick up the phone and get answers.”

This can be life changing for them not to feel a sense of helplessness, she said. “I want my constituents to know that there is something they can do about it and have a representative who backs them up.”