“For those that would speculate otherwise, let me be clear that I have no ulterior motives,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said of his decision not to seek reelection in 2018. | AP Photo Chaffetz won't run for reelection in 2018 'I have made a personal decision to return to the private sector.'

House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said Wednesday he will not run for reelection next year, ending a fast-rising political career, at least for now.

“After long consultation with my family and prayerful consideration, I have decided I will not be a candidate for any office in 2018,” he wrote on Facebook. “I have made a personal decision to return to the private sector.”


The move by the highly ambitious politician came as a shock to many in Washington. Chaffetz defeated a more moderate GOP incumbent in a 2008 primary and rose to prominence as a fierce inquisitor of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He also was seen as a possible candidate for the Senate.

“I have long advocated public service should be for a limited time and not a lifetime or full career,” he wrote. “After more than 1,500 nights away from my home, it is time. I may run again for public office, but not in 2018.”

Asked whether he would run for governor in 2020 in an interview with Utah’s KSL Newsradio, Chaffetz said, “Maybe,” adding, “I’m not trying to close the door or open the door to anything in the future… a couple years from now you can make that decision.”

Chaffetz also pre-emptively dismissed speculation about why he would leave Congress.

“For those that would speculate otherwise, let me be clear that I have no ulterior motives,” he wrote. “I am healthy. I am confident I would continue to be re-elected by large margins. I have the full support of Speaker [Paul] Ryan to continue as Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.”

In the radio interview, he encouraged listeners that hear any rumors about him to "put that aside."

"I love serving in Congress, but I love my family more," Chaffetz said. "I didn't want to go there forever, I really meant it when I said I wanted to get in, serve, and get out."

He added that the contentious political environment had nothing to do with his decision to leave Capitol Hill, and he touted his work on the powerful Oversight Committee, including his controversial investigations of the Benghazi attacks, Hillary Clinton’s private email server and the IRS.

Democrats responded to Chaffetz's announcement by accusing him of failing to investigate the Trump administration's improprieties.

"Chaffetz refused to hold Trump and his family accountable for using the presidency to pad their bank accounts at the expense of Americans," said DNC Deputy Communications Director Adrienne Watson. She said DNC Chairman Tom Perez and Sen. Bernie Sanders are heading to Salt Lake City on Friday to campaign against Trump.

Chaffetz's 3rd District in Utah, which runs from the Salt Lake City suburbs to the state's southern and eastern borders, is one of the most Republican in the country: Neither Obama nor Clinton scored even a quarter of the vote there in 2012 or 2016, and Chaffetz has won reelection with at least 70 percent of the vote four times in a row.

Breaking News Alerts Get breaking news when it happens — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The district has not been open for two decades and could draw a large crowd of interested Republican office-seekers as a result.

A Democratic physician, Kathryn Allen, raised a whopping $561,000 in the first quarter to run against Chaffetz, but she will face that built-in partisan disadvantage in a general election.

Aidan Quigley and Scott Bland contributed to this report.