The Utah Republican congressman is expected to announce his departure from the House of Representatives soon, multiple sources told The Salt Lake Tribune.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chris Stewart celebrates his victory in the Republican Primary, at the election party at the Awaken Event Center, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.
US Rep. Chris Stewart to resign his seat in Congress. That announcement could come as early as Wednesday morning.
Multiple sources confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that Stewart announced his plans to resign, citing his wife’s ongoing health issues. It is not clear what the health issues are.
First elected by Utahns in 2012, Stewart is serving his 6th term in Congress. In 2022, he won re-election against Democrat Nick Mitchell by more than 30 percentage points.
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Stewart will be the second member of Utah’s congressional delegation to resign mid-term in the past six years. Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz left his seat in Congress in 2017 to become a Fox News Channel pundit.
[READ: ‘Not a finer person than Chris Stewart,’ says Jason Chaffetz, who also left the U.S. House early]
Choosing a replacement for the remainder of Stewart’s term will require a special election. When Stewart officially announced that he was resigning, Governor Spencer Cox had seven days to set the primary and special election schedule. Under state law, those dates will be the same for this year’s municipal primary and general elections, unless the Legislature appropriates money to hold an election on a different date.
Utah’s 2nd congressional district spans the state’s western and southern borders, dividing the Great Salt Lake and running south through St. George. The district includes southern Utah’s Interstate 15 corridor and Zion National Park.
Stewart’s resignation will temporarily reduce the GOP’s already slim majority until his replacement is chosen.
Stewart is widely believed to be preparing to run for the US Senate seat currently held by Sen. Mitt Romney. His upcoming announcement, which adds an open House seat to the mix, is likely to scramble that calculation.
The congressman holds seats on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Intelligence Committee.
Stewart’s congressional office did not respond to a request for comment.
This is breaking news and will be updated throughout the day.
