Utah Governor Spencer Cox Urges National Civility following Shooting of Presidential Candidate Kirk
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – July 19, 2024 – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican known for his calls for political civility, has publicly expressed support for former President Donald Trump following a shooting incident during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The governor’s shift comes amid a broader evolution in his political stance and as Utah’s traditionally moderate republican landscape faces increasing pressure from the right.
Cox rose through Utah’s political ranks, serving as the state’s lieutenant governor in 2016 before winning a closely contested republican primary for governor in 2020 against former Governor Jon Huntsman. He then easily secured victory in the general election, continuing a decades-long streak of Republican leadership in Utah. he was handily re-elected in 2024 and has stated this will be his final term, despite the state lacking term limits.
Throughout his career, Cox has embodied a tradition of Utah Republicans – including predecessors Herbert, Huntsman, and Leavitt, as well as Senators Romney and Curtis – characterized by a conservative ideology tempered by a civil and bipartisan approach frequently enough attributed to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
However, this tradition has faced challenges in recent years. The 2010 Senate victory of conservative firebrand Mike lee signaled a shift, and Utah Republicans have gradually moved closer to the national conservative movement. cox himself initially refrained from supporting Trump in both 2016 and 2020, writing in candidates instead, and even called for Trump’s resignation following the january 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
That stance appeared to soften dramatically after the shooting. Cox sent Trump a letter praising the “humility” displayed by the former president after the incident – a quality Cox stated “most of us have not seen” – following Trump’s call for unity. This move followed a narrow primary win against a Trump-backed challenger who criticized Cox’s “Disagree Better” agenda as a “leftist,Marxist tactic,” and a unfriendly reception at the state GOP convention.
The governor’s policy positions have also shifted rightward.After vetoing a ban on transgender athletes in sports in 2022, he later signed legislation making Utah the frist state to prohibit minors from receiving gender-transition treatments.
Despite these policy changes, Cox has maintained his measured tone, a characteristic increasingly at odds with the broader Republican Party. Former Governor Herbert noted this dynamic, stating, “Donald Trump is Donald Trump. I think it’s a little harder for old dogs to learn new tricks. That’s why I think Governor Cox, at [Friday’s] press conference, said, ‘I want to address the young people here, the best hope we have for the future of America.'”
