Spencer Cox

Last updated

How did you feel when you heard that 49 people had been gunned down by a self-proclaimed terrorist? That’s the easy question. Here is the hard one: Did that feeling change when you found out the shooting was at a gay bar at 2 a.m. in the morning? If that feeling changed, then we are doing something wrong.

Cox has further shown support for the LGBTQ+ community by supporting Governor Herbert's signing an executive order on January 21, 2020, to ban conversion therapy after a bill to do so died in the State Senate in May 2019. [52] [53]

In an April 2021 town hall meeting, Cox announced his personal pronouns are "he", "him", and "his". [54]

In March 2022, Cox vetoed HB11, which would ban transgender youth from participating in high school sports, noting that only four trans kids were playing high school sports in the state at the time. "These kids, they're just trying to stay alive", he said, referring to studies showing that 56% of trans youth have attempted suicide. [55] [56]

On June 1, 2022, Cox became the first Utah governor to recognize June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month when he issued an official proclamation and encouraged Utahns to "be more welcoming and accepting of the LGBTQ community". [57]

On January 28, 2023, Cox signed Senate Bill 16, which bans gender-affirming surgery for patients under 18. [58]

On March 22, 2023, Cox signed HB228, codifying Utah's existing conversion therapy ban, previously approved through a 2020 administrative rule. It was the first conversion therapy ban in the country to pass a state legislature unanimously. [59] [60]

On August 5, 2024, Cox and other state leaders shared misinformation about the female Olympic boxer Imane Khelif. Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz initially posted, "Enough is enough. Men don't belong in women's sports", which Cox shared, adding: "This should never happen to any of our female athletes. They deserve better." At the time of these statements, it had already been confirmed that Khelif was a woman. [61] [62]

Personal life

Cox with his wife Abby in 2024 Utah Governor Spencer Cox and his wife (53708399012) (cropped).jpg
Cox with his wife Abby in 2024

Cox is the oldest of eight children and grew up on a farm in Fairview. [2] He and his wife, Abby, have four children, and reside on their family farm in Fairview. [3] Cox's father, Eddie, served on the Utah Transportation Commission and was also a Sanpete County commissioner. [9]

Cox plays bass guitar in a garage band. [7] [9] His brother-in-law, Travis Osmond, the son of Merrill Osmond, taught him to play bass. [63] State Senator Mike McKell is also a brother-in-law. [2] Cox's fourth cousin, Jon Cox, succeeded him in the Utah House of Representatives. [64]

Cox is a fan of the band The Killers and in 2018 recorded a cover of the song "Read My Mind" with his band. At a 2024 campaign event Cox crowd-surfed during a Brandon Flowers performance.

Electoral history

Spencer Cox
Spencer Cox at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. (53545313288).jpg
Cox in 2024
18th Governor of Utah
Assumed office
January 4, 2021
2016 Utah gubernatorial election [65]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Gary Herbert/Spencer Cox (incumbent) 750,850 66.74% −1.67%
Democratic Mike Weinholtz/Kim Bowman323,34928.74%+1.16%
Libertarian Brian Kamerath/Barry Short34,8273.10%+0.85%
Independent American Superdell Schanze/Gregory Duerden15,9121.41%N/A
Independent L.S. Brown (write-in)970.01%N/A
Total votes1,125,035 100.0% N/A
Republican hold
2020 Republican gubernatorial primary [66]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Spencer Cox 190,565 36.15%
Republican Jon Huntsman Jr. 184,24634.95%
Republican Greg Hughes 110,83521.02%
Republican Thomas Wright 41,5327.88%
Total votes527,178 100.00%
2020 Utah gubernatorial election [67]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Spencer Cox 918,754 62.98% −3.76%
Democratic Christopher Peterson 442,75430.35%+1.61%
Libertarian Daniel Cottam51,3933.52%+0.42%
Independent American Gregory Duerden25,8101.77%+0.36%
Write-in 20,1671.38%+1.37%
Total votes1,458,878 100.00%
Republican hold

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Utah House of Representatives
Preceded byMember of the Utah House of Representatives
from the 58th district

2013
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Utah
2013–2021
Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Utah
2021–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Chair of the National Governors Association
2023–2024
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Utah
2020, 2024
Most recent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Vice President Order of precedence of the United States
Within Utah
Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Otherwise Mike Johnson
as Speaker of the House
Preceded byas Governor of Wyoming Order of precedence of the United States
Outside Utah
Succeeded byas Governor of Oklahoma