Just one day after announcing he would not run for re-election to Congress in 2018, Rep. Jason Chaffetz says he may leave his seat before then.
Chaffetz told KSL Radio on Thursday morning that he could step down from Congress.
“I will continue to weigh the options, but I might depart early,” Wright said Chaffetz texted him.
Chaffetz followed up with a text saying, “The state needs to figure out how this works. Remember Chris Stewart almost left with a presidential appointment and my situation, etc.”
Chaffetz is referring to a potential problem in Utah law concerning the process to fill a congressional vacancy. Right now, state law only says the governor shall call for a special election to fill the seat, but there are no other guidelines. Lawmakers tried to fix that problem during the 2017 session when Rep. Chris Stewart was reportedly under consideration for Secretary of the Air Force.
Why is Chaffetz considering stepping down early? There is growing speculation in Republican circles that he could be up for a job with Fox News Channel.
