As House Republicans’ open appropriations seat remains unfilled due to the drama of the past month, a new contender for the seat is emerging: Utah Rep. Burgess Owens is considering a bid.
Owens, a former NFL safety who played for the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders — now the Las Vegas Raiders — would jump into what had been a three-way race between Oregon’s Lori Chavez-DeRemer, New York’s Nick LaLota and North Carolina’s Chuck Edwards.
Former Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, resigned from the Appropriations Committee and left Congress in mid-September to spend more time with his wife after she suffered a stroke. Owens spokeswoman Emma Hall confirmed his potential interest in vying for the seat left open by his former home-state colleague, though he hasn’t made a decision.