SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Chris Stewart has formally submitted his resignation letter, setting Sept. 15 as the date he will leave the U.S. House of Representatives.
"It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve, the good people of Utah in Congress. My family and I have been very blessed by this experience," he said in the letter to Governor Spencer Cox.
Rep. Stewart is resigning from Congress because his wife is dealing with undisclosed health issues. He has represented Utah's 2nd Congressional District since 2012.
The resignation starts the clock in the Utah State Legislature to set special election dates to replace him. Lawmakers are expected to meet in a special session next week to set the schedule. Late Wednesday, Governor Spencer Cox sent a special session on June 14. Lawmakers will set a September 5 primary election and a November 21 General Election.
The legislature will also appropriate money, change municipal election dates and deal with any other issues related to it.
FOX 13 News is told by multiple sources on Utah's Capitol Hill that lawmakers are looking at a September primary election and a mid-November general election.
There could potentially be dozens of candidates in the race to replace him. Numerous Republicans and Democrats have started floating their names and testing the waters to see how big of a chance they have at winning their parties' nominations.
