Plans to resign

Utah Republican Chris Stewart plans to resign from House

The departure would reduce the party’s five-seat majority in the House and set up a special election.

By KELLY GARRITY and OLIVIA BEAVERS

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) plans to resign from Congress, according to a Republican familiar with the matter.

The Salt Lake Tribune was the first to report on Stewart’s plans Tuesday.

According to The Tribune, Stewart could resign as early as this week, reducing Republicans’ already-slim majority in the House. The vacancy could become a headache for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has repeatedly struggled to get his party to coalesce around legislation — most recently, on the bill he negotiated with the White House to raise the debt ceiling.

Stewart’s retirement would trigger a special election. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, would have a week to set the dates for a primary and a general election.

Stewart, who represents Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, first assumed the office in 2013. He most recently won reelection in 2022, defeating Democratic challenger Nick Mitchell by close to 30 percentage points.

Stewart’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment