Utah governor hopefuls join forces in cheeky campaign ad
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A screenshot of the campaign ad, featuring gubernatorial candidates Brian King (left) and Phil Lyman.
Democratic state lawmaker Brian King has teamed up with an unlikely Republican for his latest campaign ad, as he prepares to take on Gov. Spencer Cox in November's election.
State of play: In a new 30-second ad, released Thursday, King pairs up with Cox's GOP primary challenger state Rep. Phil Lyman to diss the first-term governor.
- "Now, Phil and I 'disagree better' about most issues," King says in the ad, mocking Cox's yearlong National Governors Association initiative to combat political polarization.
- "But the biggest thing the two of us agree on is that Spencer Cox should not be our next governor," King and Lyman say.
Why it matters: The unusual pairing riffs off Cox's 2020 viral campaign ad that he shot with his Democratic opponent Chris Peterson.
Context: Lyman, who has been known to spread baseless claims of election fraud, lost the Republican gubernatorial primary in June, pursuing unsuccessful legal challenges to reverse the outcome.
By the numbers: The five-figure ad campaign will run on streaming services, social media and YouTube until the end of the election, King's campaign spokesperson Ben Haynes told Axios.
What they're saying: "Cox has proven that he is unreliable, unprincipled, and untrustworthy. On this, Phil and I agree," King said in a statement.
- "While Rep. King and I may not see eye to eye on everything, I've sat beside him in the House for years and have seen his unwavering commitment to his principles and the causes he believes in," Lyman said in a statement.
Yes, but: Lyman is not endorsing King. Instead, he's running as a write-in candidate for the governor's seat.
The other side: "Losing is hard, but encouraging others to elect someone who believes in a Gavin Newsom-style of government is the wrong solution for Utah," Cox's campaign manager Matt Lusty said in a statement, per Utah News Dispatch.
Reality check: Utah voters have not sent a Democrat to the governor's office since two-term Gov. Scott Matheson won re-election in 1980.