ST. GEORGE – During an informal meet-and-greet along with other Republican candidates in Southern Utah Wednesday, Rep. Chris Stewart said that, despite having previously called for Donald Trump to step down, at the end of the day, he intends to vote for the nominee.

“I’ve actually struggled with that, like a lot of Utahns, because some of the things Mr. Trump said, I have such a real problem with,” Stewart told St. George News. “But at the end of the day, our choice is Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. These other candidates are just not going to win. There really is a binary choice, and given that choice, it’s very clear to me what is better for our country.”

“It’s very clear that Donald Trump is a better choice than Hillary Clinton,” he said. “At the end of the day, I will be voting for Donald Trump.”

Following the release of a video on Oct. 8 that had an audio recording of Trump making crude remarks about women, several prominent Utah Republicans denounced Trump. Gov. Gary Herbert said he wouldn’t vote for Trump and Rep. Jason Chaffetz became the first member of Congress to retract his endorsement.

Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Mia Love also said they would not vote for Trump, while Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Rob Bishop, although denouncing the comments, said they will still be voting for Trump nonetheless.

In a statement issued following the release of the video, Stewart joined other Republican voices calling for Trump to “step aside.”

I’m incredibly disappointed in our party’s candidate. And, unlike the Democrats who have proven completely unwilling to hold Secretary Clinton accountable for her illegal activities that endangered our national security, I am willing to hold Mr. Trump accountable. I am therefore calling for him to step aside and to allow Mike Pence to lead our party.

That position has since changed. Prior to deciding to cast a vote for Trump, Stewart was undecided, and mentioned staring at a ballot on his desk and wondering how he should vote.

“At that time, I was so disappointed in Trump that I did ask him to step down and did think Mike Pence should be out leader, but that didn’t happen,” he said. “Mr. Trump is still the nominee. He’s still the person running against Hillary Clinton.”

Stewart said he understands that many people don’t approve of Trump and may lean toward a third party or independent candidate. While he said he understands and appreciates that stance, he nonetheless urges voters to support Trump.

“The math on this is pretty simple – that Donald Trump needs your vote in order to counter Hillary Clinton.”

Stewart isn’t the only one who has decided to vote for Trump after having declared otherwise. Chaffetz announced over Twitter Thursday that he will vote for the nominee as well. However, the withdrawl of endorsement remained.

“I will not defend or endorse @realDonaldTrump, but I am voting for him,” Chafftez said in the tweet. “(Hillary Clinton) is that bad. (Hillary Clinton) is bad for the USA.”

I will not defend or endorse @realDonaldTrump, but I am voting for him. HRC is that bad. HRC is bad for the USA. — Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) October 27, 2016

Stewart has withheld any endorsement of Trump, yet sees him as the best possible route to prevent Clinton from taking the White House.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler

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