(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah., has announced his plans to resign from his post to care for his wife during an undisclosed illness, the Washington Times reported.
Stewart, who has served six terms as a Republican in the House, announced that he would leave office by the end of the year, thereby vacating his place on both the House Appropriations and Intelligence committees.
The news was first broken by the anonymous source speaking to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Gov. Spencer Cox will have to call a special election under Utah law to fill the vacancy in a region that includes Salt Lake City and much of the western side of the state, which has only four congressional districts total.
Fortunately for Republicans in the House, Stewart defeated Democratic challenger Nick Mitchell by more than 30 percentage points in last year’s election.
Nonetheless, his absence will further narrow the nine-seat margin of embattled House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at least until the special election concludes.
Stewart’s resignation also could shake up politics in the state of Utah, where Stewart was widely favored to challenge or replace Sen. Mitt Romney, who comes up for re-election next year.
Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah—who likewise vacated his seat early, in 2017, to become a Fox News contributor—said that Stewart will undoubtedly be missed in the halls of Congress.
“There is not a finer person than Chris Stewart,” Chaffetz told the Tribune Tuesday. “He serves with integrity and patriotism.”
Stewart’s congressional office did not respond for comment.
