Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox wins reelection after unexpectedly endorsing Donald Trump

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has won reelection, beating a Democratic state lawmaker to secure his second term in office despite recent confusion about the governor’s political leanings.

Cox, long seen as a moderate Republican, was heavily favored to win in deep red Utah. But his unexpected choice to back Donald Trump for the first time this year risked his reputation with his moderate voting base.

The governor defeated Democrat Brian King, a trial lawyer and state representative who served for eight years as Utah’s House minority leader.

Cox watched results roll in from the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Salt Lake City where he held a private party for family and friends that was closed to the press. He thanked Utah voters in a brief statement on the social media platform X.

“I am honored by your trust and eager to continue my work for another four years as your governor,” Cox said.

His victory still leaves voters wondering what they should expect from him over the next four years — the moderate he had been for most of his first-term or the Trump loyalist he became in the heat of election season.

Utah voters tend to favor moderate Republicans such as John Curtis, who won Mitt Romney’s open U.S. Senate seat, in statewide elections.

Cox suddenly endorsed Trump after the July assassination attempt on the former president at a Pennsylvania rally. He wrote in a letter of support that he believed Trump could save the country “by emphasizing unity rather than hate.”

He had previously voiced criticism about Trump, saying the then-president’s role in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol went too far.

The governor has dug in his heels in the months since the endorsement, leading political observers to believe that his shift to the right might be more than an election-year stunt.

He reaffirmed his commitment to Trump in September even as the former president faced scrutiny for ramping up rhetoric against immigrants — behavior Cox had said he hoped Trump would abandon when he endorsed him in July.

The governor also appeared with Trump on the campaign trail and at Arlington National Cemetery, where each politician was ensnared in a controversy. After Trump’s staff had an altercation with a cemetery official, Cox broke rules — and likely federal law — in using a graveside photo with Trump in a campaign fundraising email in August.

Trump, who expectedly won Utah and its six electoral votes on Tuesday, did not in turn endorse Cox’s reelection bid.

King, Cox’s Democratic opponent, congratulated the governor and thanked his own supporters for helping him challenge the status quo.

“To all the Democrats, Republicans and Independents who supported us, who looked beyond party loyalty in search of common-sense leadership, thank you,” King said in a statement. “You are not alone in feeling that our state can do better.”

Cox also defeated conservative write-in candidate Phil Lyman, who had urged his supporters to vote for him instead of Cox after losing the Republican primary in June.