WATCH LIVE: Utah's U.S. House candidates Maloy, Udell meet for midterm debate

Utah voters get a look at the contest for a southern and eastern Utah congressional seat Friday night, when Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy and Democrat Kent Udell debate at 8 p.m. EDT. The Utah Debate Commission and PBS Utah are hosting the event in St. George, and it is being streamed live, according to PBS NewsHour.

Maloy has held the 2nd District seat since 2023, but new district lines drawn mid-decade moved her into the 3rd District, where she is now seeking reelection. She got there by beating former state Rep. Phil Lyman in the June primary. The two had both fallen short of the support needed at the state Republican convention to claim the nomination without a primary.

Udell is a retired University of Utah professor of mechanical engineering. No one challenged him for the Democratic nomination, so he advanced without a primary contest.

The 3rd District covers the whole southern part of the state along with most of its eastern side. Provo, where Brigham Young University is located, sits inside it, as does St. George. Analysts at the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter classify the race as "Solid R," meaning they see Maloy as the strong favorite heading into November.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →