How Utah Gov. Cox moved to the right in 2024
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Gov. Spencer Cox meets Donald Trump on Aug. 26 at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo: Kevin Carter/Getty Images
After being hailed for years as a rare GOP moderate, Gov. Spencer Cox lurched to the political right this year.
Why it matters: Election results suggest Cox's MAGA shift aligns with many voters and may signal an end to Utah's reputation for a more centrist, old-school brand of Republicanism.
- That's why we consider this Utah's top story of 2024.
Catch up quick: Cox previously was called "the new face of Trump skepticism on the right" and "the red-state governor who's not afraid to be 'woke'."
The big picture: Cox's most notable pivot was his endorsement of Donald Trump, barely a week after saying he wouldn't vote for the Republican nominee.
- Cox attributed his change of heart to the assassination attempt in July at a Pennsylvania rally, calling Trump's survival a "miracle" that would unite the nation.
- Before that, Cox hadn't voted for a major party's presidential candidate since Mitt Romney's 2012 run, and he lambasted Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020 and 2016.
Zoom in: Early in his career, Cox was elevated as an LGBTQ+ ally, gaining national attention in 2022 for vetoing a statewide ban on trans students in high school sports.
- He also joined teenagers on the state Capitol floor as they staged a sit-in to protest conversion therapy, and he wept in viral footage at a vigil following the 2016 shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub.
The latest: Cox kicked off 2024 by signing an anti-trans bathroom ban. He then:
- described gender-affirming health care as "genital mutilation."
- declared June a "month of bridge-building" rather than the traditional Pride Month.
- shared social media posts that falsely claimed Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif is not a woman.
Reality check: Although his 2022 veto letter cited "kindness, mercy and compassion" and for trans youth, Cox said in a Thursday news conference his chief motive was to protect schools from lawsuits and encourage transparency after lawmakers made last-minute changes to the sports ban.
Zoom out: On other issues, Cox amplified conservative talking points.
- He ramped up criticism of the Biden administration on immigration, sending Utah National Guard soldiers to the Texas border in February and promising to help with Trump's planned mass deportations.
- He led Utah into a pending lawsuit claiming state control over 18.5 million acres of federally managed land and a costly ad campaign to promote the case.
- He leapt into culture wars, signing a ban on DEI offices in public agencies and joining religious criticism of the opening ceremonies for the Paris Olympics.
What they're saying: "I am not saying anything now that I haven't been saying for 15 years," Cox said Thursday about his stance on immigration.
Context: Cox faced a failed primary challenge from the right by Utah Rep. Phil Lyman, who also lost in November as a write-in candidate.
The intrigue: Cox burnished his MAGA bona fides while promoting his "Disagree Better" civility campaign as chair of the National Governors Association.
Yes, but: Even "Disagree Better" veered right in Utah, as Cox featured a county official who calls environmentalists "terrorists" — and vanishingly few in-state Democrats.