Policy Nerd Who Shuns Freedom Caucus Filling Utah House Seat

The next new member of Congress will walk in with clear opinions on which political risks are worth taking.

Giving up a Capitol Hill job to run for her boss’s seat was worth it to Republican Celeste Maloy, who won Tuesday’s special election in Utah. Aligning with the Freedom Caucus? Not worth it.

While campaigning to succeed Rep. Chris Stewart (R), the soon-to-be juniormost freshman said she disagrees with the tactics of the Freedom Caucus, a bloc of hardline conservatives who’ve stalled consideration of bills and opposed bipartisan compromises like a debt-ceiling agreement (Public Law 118-5) and short-term spending measures ...