Utah Republican to resign House seat over wife's illness

June 1, 2023

Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart announced Wednesday that he will resign his House seat because of his wife's illness, potentially leaving the GOP down one with an already razor-thin majority until a special election can be held.

“I can say with pride that I have been an effective leader for my beloved home state, and I'm honored to have played an important role in guiding our nation through some troubled times,” Stewart said in a statement.

Stewart's district is reliably Republican, and he said he planned to step down “after an orderly transition can be ensured.”

Still, he did not say he would stick around for the minimum-90-day period required for campaigning before the special election can be held.

This means there could be a critical Republican vacancy for part or all of that time.

Instead of having a five-vote swing to pass bills, Republicans will only have four votes to play with.