Utah Governor Announces September Primary for House Seat

Utah will hold a special primary election in September to replace Republican Rep. Chris Stewart, who announced in May he would resign due to his wife’s health concerns. 

Stewart’s resignation will become effective Sept. 15, according to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who announced on Wednesday he had received Stewart’s official notice.

In turn, Cox issued two proclamations — one laying out the timeline for a special election and a second calling on the legislature to meet for a special session to address the special election. 

According to the election proclamation, a primary election will take place Sept. 5, and the general election will be held on November 21. 

“This special election timeline lays out a sensible approach for candidates, parties, voters, and election administrators,” Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said in a statement. “We’ve balanced urgency with election security and accuracy.”

Stewart announced in late May that he planned to resign from his position in Congress, which he held for six terms.

“It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve the good people of Utah in Congress,” Stewart said in a May statement, adding, "My wife’s health concerns have made it necessary that I retire from Congress after an orderly transition can be ensured.”

Utah has four congressional districts, all which are currently held by Republicans and are considered solid Republican, according to the Cook Political Report. Since Stewart’s announcement in May, there has been widespread speculation about who might enter the race to replace him in Utah’s second congressional district. There’s been at least one individual who has announced her intention to run for the seat: Becky Edwards, who previously served in the Utah House of Representatives. 

“My entire life I’ve looked for opportunities to serve, this is just another one,” Edwards told KSL NewsRadio shortly after Stewart made his initial announcement.