by: Kyle Garahana
Utah’s current 3rd district (soon to be former) congressman Jason Chaffetz’s career in congress and as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee has been nothing short of news-worthy. From his heavily booed town hall meeting a few months ago to his National lashing for suggesting Americans choose between the new iPhone and healthcare, Jason Chaffetz is no stranger to criticism. Some suggest that may have lead his decision to resign at the end of June. In an op-ed piece for The Salt Lake Tribune last month, Stephen Tryon, who ran against Chaffetz in the most recent elections, called Chaffetz’s early resignation the “equivalent to a soldier abandoning his post because he finds his duty too hard”. Now that may be a bit harsh and given Tryon’s military background, that most likely impacts his views on the matter. But given Mr Chaffetz’s sudden increase in appearances on FOX News, his resignation appears to be a pursuit in a different career path. The Desert News called his recent appearance on ‘FOX and Friends’ a “tryout for a rumored new gig”. Chaffetz himself claimed he was stepping down due to being away from home so much and suggested he may run for election in the future, but not in 2018. Either way, this early resignation will trigger a special election to fill his vacant congressional seat. The vacancy has drawn a large number of candidates so I will be detailing those running for election in upcoming blog posts as well as keeping an eye in Chaffetz’s departure and next career move.
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