Jason Chaffetz Will Not Run for Reelection to Congress in 2018

Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who heads the House Oversight Committee, will not run for reelection in 2018.

The Utah Congressman wrote on Facebook that he had made a personal decision to return to the private sector, claiming that he was confident that he would have been reelected by a wide margin.

“For those that would speculate otherwise, let me be clear that I have no ulterior motives,” Chaffetz said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. “I am healthy. I am confident I would continue to be re-elected by large margins. I have the full support of Speaker Ryan to continue as Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. That said, I have made a personal decision to return to the private sector.”

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Chaffetz, who has served several terms in Congress, said he chose to announce his decision now to give other candidates the proper time period to build a successful campaign.

Since President Trump took office, Chaffetz, who flip-flopped on the endorsement of the President retracting it after the “Access Hollywood” tape but subsequently announcing he would vote for him, has faced angry constituents at town halls in his district.

In January of 2016, he told the Deseret News he would consider running for governor of Utah in 2020.

“I’m not going to be here forever. I would take a serious, serious look at running for governor,” he told the paper. “I want to go as hard and fast as I can in the House and then go home.”