Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Andrew Feinberg

House Republican majority cut by one after shock resignation of congressman

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The impending resignation of Utah Representative Chris Stewart will give House Speaker Kevin McCarthy approximately 20 per cent less room to manoeuvre when trying to cobble together enough GOP votes to pass legislation in the closely-divided House.

Mr Stewart, a former US Air Force pilot who has represented the Beehive State’s second congressional district for over a decade, is set to announce that he will step down from his Congressional seat to care for his wife, Evie Stewart, who is reportedly suffering from unidentified medical issues.

He is the second Utah member to depart the House mid-session in the past six years. The last, ex-Representative Jason Chaffetz, resigned in 2017 while citing a “mid-life crisis” as the reason for his exit. He later accepted a higher-paying job as a Fox News personality.

While Mr Stewart’s district is considered a safe seat for the GOP, the vacancy he will mean Mr McCarthy will only be able to suffer defections from three Republican members on party-line votes if no Democratic members break ranks — at least until his seat is filled by the winner of a special election to be scheduled by Governor Spencer Cox.

It is highly unlikely that a special election for the vacant seat would be won by a Democrat, as Mr Stewart won reelection by more than 30 per cent in 2022.

The six-term congressman is expected to say he will leave office by year’s end, which means the special election could be set to coincide with Utah’s 2024 presidential primary on 5 March 2024.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.