Hoster First To Declare Candidacy For Stewart’s Congressional Seat

Chris Stewart has been a shining star for the state of Utah, working as a congressman representing the Beehive State for the past decade, serving on multiple congressional committees including the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Appropriations Committee.

The best-selling author, entrepreneur and patriot, will be hard to replace, for sure. But already, several viable candidates are jockeying to get into that position.

Stewart announced that he will be resigning due to family concerns, in particular the health of his beloved wife, Evie. His resignation goes into effect Sept. 15.

In the wake of that news, Utah governor Spencer Cox announced that there will be a special election to be held on Sept. 5 (primary) and Nov. 21 (general election).

So who will be on the ballot to try and fill Stewart's big shoes?

Thursday on the Andy Griffin Show, political newcomer Bill Hoster announced his intention to run for the open office. Hoster is an entrepreneur, businessman and retired Naval corpsman who is currently serving as mayor of Leeds.

"I think it's really important that we get someone from Southern Utah to fill this position," he said.

Many have expressed the importance of having a congressman who actually lives in the Second Congressional District, which is not required.

Other candidates who have either declared or expressed interest include Becky Edwards (declared), Henry Eyring (declared), Bruce Hough (declared), Greg Hughes (declared), Kathleen Riebe (declared), Jordan Hess (considering), Adam Snow (considering), Rob Axson (considering), Evan MacMullin (considering), Kael Weston (considering), Nick Mitchell (considering), Todd Weiler (considering), Bob Stevenson (considering), Erin Rider (considering), Dan McCay (considering), Ben Horsely (considering), Mike Kennedy (considering) and Celeste Maloy.

The most interesting ones for Southern Utahns are Hoster, Hess (works for Washington City, vice-chair of the Utah Republican Party) and Snow (Washington County commissioner, former aide to Stewart).

The only Democrats in the list are Mitchell and Weston, while MacMullin is an Independent.

The filing period for candidates ends at 5 pm on June 14.