Rep. Chris Stewart will leave Congress on Sept. 15, the legislator formally announced yesterday in a letter to the governor, setting the stage for a special election later this year.
Since 2012, Stewart has represented Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses areas of Salt Lake County, including South Salt Lake and West Valley City, and stretches to the state’s southern border, with Cedar City and St. George. Stewart cited his wife’s undisclosed health issue as the reason for his resignation.
“It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve the good people of Utah in Congress,” Stewart said in his letter to Gov. Spencer Cox.
Cox issued the special election, with primaries on Sept. 5 to precede the general election on Nov. 21. The governor’s proclamation also moves municipal elections to coincide with the special election. Those looking to run for Stewart’s seat have until June 14 to file official declarations.
“With this special election, Utah will only be without full representation for a short time,” Utah State Senate President J. Stuart Adams said in a news release.
Cox called for a June 14 session of the Utah legislature to appropriate funds for the special election and to move the dates of municipal elections.
