Spencer Cox in 2020 UT Governor's race
On Principles & Values:
Coronavirus: Debunk rumors; don't share untrue stories
Cox sought to debunk what he called "crazy rumors" amid Utah's part of the coronavirus scare:- No, Gov. Gary Herbert isn't getting ready to shut down highways or interstates.
- No, too, on any plans for gasoline rationing. (Gas is at a price low
in fact, Cox noted.)
- And no, he said, there are no statewide isolation orders being contemplated.
- "As challenging as this is for all of us, we make it more challenging when we share things that just aren't true," Cox said in an online chat.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Mar 17, 2020
On Government Reform:
Electing, rather than appointing, judges a "terrible idea"
A Republican lawmaker is setting aside his proposed legislation to amend the state Constitution and elect, rather than appoint, Utah judges. Cox--a Republican candidate for governor whose current position oversees the state's election--reacted to
news of the bill on Twitter by writing that "it would be impossible for me to overstate what a terrible idea this is."
Source: Salt Lake Tribune on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Mar 2, 2020
On Foreign Policy:
Fight drug cartels; help Mexican economy
The lieutenant governor wanted to remind people that drug habits in the United States empower the cartels. He said they recruit and exploit young people in Mexico who are trying to survive. "One of the reasons they're coming is the fear
under which they live with these ruthless cartels. If you're worried about immigration, the best way to stop illegal immigration is to help the economy in Mexico," Cox said.
Source: KUTV-2 coverage of 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Nov 6, 2019
On Environment:
Supports new recycled-cardboard paper mill
In the last five years, the use of cardboard has grown by 40% due to the booming e-commerce industry. A paper production company, Crossroads Paper, is looking to change the way Utahns recycle their cardboard. The announcement of the paper mill drew
support from recycling organizations and Lt. Governor Spencer Cox.While traditional paper mills need large quantities of water to operate, the Utah mill's main water source will be groundwater or wells, not rivers or surface water.
The location will have its own water treatment site that will clean the water before and after its use.
Spencer Cox said the project had been a "long-time coming." Before speaking at the news conference, Cox said he received a notification via his
smartwatch that UPS had just delivered a package to his home. "That's the ecosystem in which we live," he said. "We desperately need this type of innovation."
Source: Deseret News on 2020 Utah Gubernatorial race
Jul 10, 2019
On Technology:
Not OK to give ICE facial recognition data on immigrants
Utah officials refuted reports that the Utah Department of Public Safety allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to mine Utahns' driver's license photos using facial recognition technology.Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox
were "very concerned" about reports that ICE and the FBI were using the photos to form the foundation for a facial recognition database, according to the governor's office. But they say they were told by the public safety department, which oversees the
state Driver License Division, that such reports were inaccurate.
Cox told reporters, "If the reports are true, the governor and I are deeply concerned and not OK with it."
In at least three states that offer driver's licenses to undocumented
immigrants, ICE officials have requested to electronically analyze driver's license photos. At least two of those states, Utah and Vermont, complied, searching their photos for matches, those records show.
Source: Deseret News on 2020 Utah Gubernatorial race
Jul 8, 2019
On Budget & Economy:
Let some hotel tax revenue pay for infrastructure
Cox said he would back local governments' interest in adding more flexibility in how Transient Room Tax revenue can be spent. "I would support using a portion of TRT for infrastructure," he said. He said infrastructure--ranging from
roads to water and sewer--has to be able to accommodate the ever-growing volume of visitors to southeastern Utah.
Source: Moab Times on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Jun 27, 2019
On Budget & Economy:
Time to reevaluate our approach to tax incentives
I believe in the power of free markets. Free market capitalism has done more to eradicate real poverty than any other socioeconomic system in the history of the world. Conversely, tax incentives inherently change the playing field in
free markets and can lead to governments--not markets--picking winners and losers. To stay competitive, Utah has also offered incentives. It's time to reevaluate our current approach.
Source: Medium.com blog posting for 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Jun 26, 2019
On Immigration:
Angry about children separated from families at border
Cox could not sleep because he was angry about the U.S. government separating children from immigrants trying to cross the border illegally. So he griped about it in a string of emotional tweets. "Can't sleep tonight. I know I shouldn't tweet.
But I'm angry. And sad," Cox posted. "I hate what we've become. My wife wants to go & hold babies & read to lonely/scared/sad kids. I want to punch someone. Political tribalism is stupid. It sucks & it's dangerous. We are all part of the problem."
Source: Salt Lake Tribune on Twitter post in 2020 Utah governor race
Jun 20, 2019
On Education:
Provide opportunities to attend technical schools
He described what he sees as a need to boost education for youngsters as well as people who are "not finding their place in the economy." He said there should be opportunities for young Utahns who are not attending universities to enroll in
technical schools, giving them the chance to quickly become "retooled in their skills" to position themselves for the workforce.
Source: Summit County Park Record on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Jun 4, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
Support driverless vehicles, mass transit
Cox added Utah should be at the forefront of technological changes in transportation, such as driverless vehicles and vehicles
powered by electricity, and said he wants increases in carpooling and mass transit.
Source: Summit County Park Record on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Jun 4, 2019
On Tax Reform:
Reliance on property tax hurting rural areas
He said housing prices are concerning to voters and said the lack of industry in rural areas, coupled with a tax base that heavily relies on property taxes rather than other sorts of revenues, makes it difficult for people who grow up in those areas to
remain there. "There is a widening gap, unfortunately, that's happening we see that especially in rural Utah where the education gap people are losing out."
Source: Summit County Park Record on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Jun 4, 2019
On Abortion:
Supports law banning most abortions after 18 weeks
Cox said he supports a law Herbert signed banning most abortions after
18 weeks of pregnancy. "I am unabashedly pro-life," he said.
Source: Associated Press coverage of 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
May 14, 2019
On Civil Rights:
Wants "Utah solution" to protecting LGTBQ kids
He drew national headlines in 2016 for an emotional speech he gave reacting to the Orlando nightclub massacre that left 49 people dead. He apologized for how he treated kids growing up in his small hometown who he now realizes were gay. This year,
Cox delivered an apology to protesters frustrated about the gutting of a bill to ban gay conversion therapy. He said Tuesday he's still working to find a "Utah solution" to protect LGTBQ kids during the next legislative session.
Source: Associated Press coverage of 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
May 14, 2019
On Civil Rights:
Understanding & respect for differing sexual orientations
Cox garnered national attention in a speech made at a vigil in the aftermath of the Orlando, Florida, nightclub shooting that went viral, earning praise from Republicans and Democrats alike for its simple plea for understanding and respect for those
with differing sexual orientations.Does that make Cox too moderate for the conservative stronghold in Utah's Republican elite? He doesn't think so. "It is interesting that sometimes we confuse moderation with kindness and I hate that.
It doesn't have to be that way. That is not the party I believe in. The conservative Republican party I believe in is a party of inspiration, not a party of insults.
It is a party of making sure everyone has opportunity and we lift people, especially at the margins, up. By the way, that is where the Republican Party of Utah is. Nationally, not as much."
Source: Deseret News on 2020 Utah Gubernatorial race
May 14, 2019
On Health Care:
Supports move to scale back Medicaid expansion
He said he supported state leaders' move to scale back a voter-approved Medicaid expansion,
though he also wants to work to reduce health care costs overall.
Source: Associated Press coverage of 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
May 14, 2019
On Welfare & Poverty:
Make sure rural Utah is not forgotten
Gov. Gary Herbert, 71, has said he will not run again. His right-hand man, Cox, said he has seen firsthand the toll it takes to manage one of the nation's fastest growing states with one of the best performing economies.Still, he said Utah is a
state beset with challenges of its own. "We have challenges of transportation, air quality and the cost of housing," he said, stressing he will make sure rural Utah is not forgotten.
When asked what will distinguish him from the rest of the field,
he said it is his family's work ethic. "First, no one will outwork us. We (his wife, Abby, too) both grew up on farms. We are still farming and ranching today," he said.
He said he hopes the coming Utah gubernatorial race sets the right tone. "The
negativity and the toxicity we see in our elections is starting to infiltrate Utah in a terrible way. We are committed to changing that. We would rather lose the right way than win the wrong way."
Source: Deseret News on 2020 Utah Gubernatorial race
May 14, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
There's very clear evidence of climate change
On climate: "There's very clear evidence of a climate change--that the climate has been changing for a long time," he said, echoing the climate-science talking points of some Republicans. "Certainly, this feels much more like the new norm when it
comes to fires." Cox lives near the fast-growing Hilltop Fire in Sanpete County and has been monitoring the blaze all week. Utah is limited in any response, he said, because the climate is "global."
Source: KUER 90-1 NPR on 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Aug 9, 2018
On Families & Children:
We need to talk about suicide
I listened to experts and survivors and family members of people who had died by suicide. Honestly, I learned more about suicide prevention in one evening than my previous 40 years combined. But mostly, I learned that we simply need to talk
about it more--and that contrary to what you may have heard, there is NO evidence that talking about suicide makes it more likely to happen.
Source: Medium.com blog posting for 2020 Utah gubernatorial race
Feb 25, 2018
Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021