Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox on Monday declared he intends to visit all 248 cities and towns in Utah during his run for governor, upping the ante on the typical campaign pledge to visit every county in the state.
“Our next governor needs to be able to look the people of Utah in the eye and understand where they’re from and understand their story,” Cox said in a campaign video announcing the goal.
The roughly two-minute video is largely filmed in and around his green campaign bus, the side of which is dominated by a gigantic headshot of Cox.
"This is a little awkward," Cox says sheepishly in the video after pointing out the photo.
Covering the rear of the RV is a checklist of all 248 target cities. The Fairview Republican — who kicked off his 2020 campaign last month — started tackling the list Monday morning with a stop in Morgan and is heading next to spots in Summit, Wasatch, Duchesne, Uintah and Daggett counties, according to a campaign news release.
Cox says he and his wife, Abby, also plan to do service projects in the cities and towns they visit and asked people to submit project ideas to them.
"And if you have a place where I can dump this, let me know," says Cox, gesturing toward the RV's septic hose as he delivers his video's parting words.
While Cox says no statewide candidate has ever visited all 248 municipalities, former U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens once campaigned by walking more than 700 miles across his congressional district.
Gov. Gary Herbert has said he won’t seek reelection next year and Cox is the first major candidate to jump into the race.
