Jason Chaffetz Bio
Jason Edwin Chaffetz (born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for Utah’s 3rd congressional district from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. A Republican, he chaired the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 to 2017, leading high-profile investigations into federal agencies and political figures. After leaving Congress six months into his fifth term, Chaffetz became a media commentator, a Fox News contributor, and an author of several books critical of the federal bureaucracy. In 2021 he joined the Government Accountability Institute as a distinguished fellow.
Early Life and Background
Jason Edwin Chaffetz was born in Los Gatos, California, and was raised in California, Arizona, and Colorado. His father, John A. Chaffetz (1935–2012), was a businessman whose family had ties to professional soccer ownership in the late 1970s, and his mother, Margaret “Peggy” A. Wood (1942–1995), was a Christian Scientist who later joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and ran a photography business. Chaffetz attended high school in California before graduating from Middle Park High School in Granby, Colorado.
Chaffetz attended Brigham Young University on an athletic scholarship and served as the starting placekicker for the school’s football team in 1988 and 1989. Over two seasons, he converted 16 of 25 field goal attempts and 89 of 94 point-after attempts, and as of 2011 he still held several school records for extra points. He graduated from the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in communications. Raised in a mixed religious household, Chaffetz joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his college years.
Path to US Politics
Chaffetz became a Republican in 1990 after meeting Ronald Reagan when the former president visited his employer, Nu Skin, as a motivational speaker, though his political views had been drifting rightward even while he worked on Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign as a Utah co-chairman. After college, he spent about a decade in public relations at Nu Skin International, building corporate communications experience that would later support his move into political consulting.
In 2004, Chaffetz managed the successful Utah gubernatorial campaign of Jon Huntsman, and when Huntsman took office in January 2005, Chaffetz became his chief of staff. In 2005 he founded Maxtera Utah Inc., a corporate communications and marketing company, and in 2006 he was appointed by Huntsman as a trustee for Utah Valley State College. He also served on the Highland City planning commission and chaired the Utah National Guard adjutant general review, sharpening his policy profile before launching a congressional bid.
Jason Chaffetz Career
Early Career (2007–2008)
On January 1, 2007, Jason Chaffetz began “testing the waters” for a Congressional run against six-term Republican incumbent Chris Cannon in Utah’s 3rd District, formally entering the race on October 1, 2007. Running to Cannon’s right on fiscal discipline, limited government, and immigration enforcement, he won 59% of the 3rd District’s delegates at the May 10, 2008, state convention but fell just short of the 60% needed to clinch the nomination outright. On June 24, 2008, Chaffetz defeated Cannon by a vote of 60% to 40% in a major upset, despite being outspent six to one and lacking the endorsement of most of the state Republican establishment.
Chaffetz went on to win the 2008 general election with 66% of the vote against Democrat Bennion Spencer and Constitution Party candidate Jim Noorlander, effectively locking in the seat in one of the most Republican districts in the nation. Once in office, he announced that he would sleep on a cot in his Washington office rather than rent a separate apartment, citing a desire to cut expenses and set an example on federal spending.
2008 Congressional Breakthrough (2008–2010)
Chaffetz won reelection to a second term in 2010 with 72% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Karen Hyer and earning the endorsement of The Salt Lake Tribune. His early tenure was marked by a willingness to question leaders in both parties, including a widely covered January 2010 exchange with President Barack Obama at the House Republican Conference retreat in Baltimore, where he pressed the president on unfulfilled promises related to health care debates on C-SPAN, lobbying, and earmarks.
During this period Chaffetz also took early stances on transportation security and federal land use, including legislation in December 2009 to limit the use of full-body imaging scanners at airports unless a metal detector first indicated the need for further screening, citing privacy concerns.
Reelection Era (2011–2016)
In 2012, Chaffetz worked as a representative of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign during primary season, shadowing rival candidate Newt Gingrich to offer rebuttals to reporters. That same year he won a third term with 76% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Soren Simonsen in a low-key race. In 2014 he secured a fourth term with about 72% of the vote against Democratic nominee Brian Wonnacott, and in 2016 he won a fifth term with roughly 74% of the vote, defeating former Overstock.com executive Stephen Tryon.
In November 2014, Chaffetz won a four-way race to become chairman of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, becoming only the fifth Member of Congress in 89 years to become a full chairman after just three terms. He led hearings on Secret Service security failures, the Office of Personnel Management data breach affecting more than 18 million Americans, Planned Parenthood practices, the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules.
Post-Congress Era (2017–Present)
On April 19, 2017, Chaffetz abruptly announced that he would not seek reelection to the House or run for any other elected office in 2018, and he formally announced his retirement on May 18 effective June 30, six months into his fifth term. His resignation triggered the first Congressional special election in Utah in 87 years, won by Provo mayor John Curtis. On July 1, 2017, the day after his resignation took effect, Chaffetz became a Fox News contributor, appearing regularly on programs including Fox & Friends, Hannity, and The Ingraham Angle.
He was a 2017 visiting fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics, and in 2021 he joined the Government Accountability Institute, a conservative think tank founded by Peter Schweizer and former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon, as a distinguished fellow. He has also authored multiple books, including The Deep State (2018), Power Grab (2019), and They Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste (2021), and he launched a podcast titled Jason in the House.
Notable Events and Milestones
Chaffetz came to national prominence in 2015 for his extensive investigations into Hillary Clinton, and in October 2016 he became the first Republican member of Congress to rescind his endorsement of Donald Trump before reversing course less than three weeks later and saying he would vote for Trump. His 2008 primary upset of six-term incumbent Chris Cannon, his rapid rise to a full committee chairmanship after just three terms, and his high-profile oversight of the OPM data breach, Secret Service failures, and Planned Parenthood hearings all stand out as defining moments of his career.
Jason Chaffetz Career Wins
Jason Chaffetz built his political career on a series of decisive electoral wins in one of the most Republican districts in the nation, beginning with his 2008 primary upset and continuing through five consecutive general election victories.
Congressional Election Highlights
Chaffetz won five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Utah’s 3rd congressional district. After his 60% to 40% primary defeat of Chris Cannon in 2008, he won the general election with 66% of the vote. He was reelected in 2010 with 72% against Democrat Karen Hyer, in 2012 with 76% against Democrat Soren Simonsen, in 2014 with about 72% against Democrat Brian Wonnacott, and in 2016 with roughly 74% against Democrat Stephen Tryon.
Other Wins & Achievements
Chaffetz earned the endorsement of The Salt Lake Tribune in his 2010 reelection, was elected chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2014, became a 2017 visiting fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics, joined the Government Accountability Institute as a distinguished fellow in 2021, and authored the New York Times bestseller The Deep State in 2018.
Jason Chaffetz Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Chaffetz’s father, John A. Chaffetz, was a businessman who later wrote Gay Reality: The Team Guido Story, and his paternal grandfather Maxwell (Max) Chaffetz was an FBI Special Agent and the son of Russian immigrants. Chaffetz’s father’s first wife, Kitty Dickson, later married 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, making Chaffetz a half-brother to a man who was later adopted by Dukakis and took his surname. Chaffetz’s younger brother, Alex, runs a Colorado-based media consulting firm.
Personal Life
Jason Chaffetz married Julie Johnson in February 1991 after meeting her at a wedding in Arizona in 1989, when he was a senior and she was a junior at Brigham Young University. The couple has made their home in Alpine, Utah. Reports in 2009 and 2015 indicated that Chaffetz remained close to his half-brother and the Dukakis family.