According to a new report, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, intends to leave Congress before the year is through.
Due to his wife’s sickness, Stewart, a six-term politician, is anticipated to announce his intention to resign from the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
His retirement would decrease the GOP majority in the House to just four members and open a seat on the Appropriations and Intelligence committees for Republicans.
According to Utah law, the governor is required to call a special election whenever there is a House vacancy.
Republican Governor Spencer Cox will have seven days from the moment Stewart formally tenders his resignation to schedule a primary and special election.
Except in cases when the state legislature appropriates funding to organize a different election, the law mandates that those dates coincide with the municipal primary and general elections planned for this year.
To replace the position, a Republican candidate is strongly preferred.
In western Utah, Stewart represents the 2nd Congressional District, which runs from the Salt Lake City metropolitan region to St. George. Stewart comfortably trounced Democratic opponent Nick Mitchell in the 2022 midterm elections, earning re-election with a landslide 63.4% vote share.
Author and former member of the U.S. Air Force Stewart was first elected in 2012. She worked with Utahn Elizabeth Smart on a novel about her kidnapping.
During the tenure of former President Trump, the 62-year-old Stewart was mentioned as a possible candidate for the position of director of national intelligence in the United States. The state of Stewart’s wife’s health is unknown.
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