Utah Rep. Chaffetz says he won’t run for re-election
Chaffetz, who has been rumored as a possible candidate for
The 50-year-old Chaffetz had strolled to four easy re-elections in his Republican-friendly congressional district. But he was facing a surprising challenge from a Democratic newcomer who raised more than a half-million dollars by tapping into anger over Chaffetz's recent comment suggesting people should spend their money on health insurance instead of iPhones.
Political unknown Dr.
Chaffetz, the chairman of the
"It's a tough decision. I love serving in
Running for
"I'm trying to leave the door open for possibilities down the road," he said.
Chaffetz led a nearly two-year investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, continuing the inquiry even after the 2016 election. And he and other
In a statement on Facebook, Chaffetz noted that he has long advocated that public service should be for a limited time. He said that after more than 1,500 nights away from home, "it is time" to step aside.
Chaffetz said he has "no ulterior motives" and is healthy and confident he would be re-elected.
House Speaker
Still, Chaffetz has run into political turbulence. He was met by frequent, deafening boos at a February town hall as constituents grilled him on everything from investigating Trump's tax returns to
In a
"Americans have choices," he responded. "Maybe rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love, and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care."
The remarks triggered a firestorm of criticism on social media with people comparing how many iPhones they could buy if they didn't have to pay medical bills in the tens of thousands of dollars. Chaffetz later conceded on
Half of the voters are registered
While Chaffetz declined to investigate Trump, he did criticize a top Trump aide who promoted
"It's still somewhat surprising to me," Karpowitz said. "It seems that at the first sign of trouble, he's decided not to run."
Chaffetz is at least the seventh House Republican to resign this year or announce plans to retire, including four who left to join Trump's
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