Opening the only debate between candidates for governor in November’s general election, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox touted what he sees as his achievements in office “despite my Democratic colleague voting against it” — a shot at the state’s former House minority leader who is now vying to be the first Democrat to lead the Beehive State in four decades.
From there, Wednesday night evolved into a sparring match between Cox and state Rep. Brian King that echoed the Democrat’s struggles against policies passed by the Legislature’s Republican supermajority with the governor’s stamp of approval over the last four years.
Utah’s top politicos, from the chair of the Utah Republican Party to the lieutenant governor, watched on, crammed into a theater alongside students at Salt Lake Community College to hear Cox spar with opponents in his first reelection bid.
Beside Cox and King was Libertarian candidate Robert Latham. The debate was the first meeting between major party candidates before the general election in a contest that has seen recent headlines dominated by legal challenges — with little evidence — to the results of the GOP primary election.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Democratic challenger state Rep. Brian King answers questions from news outlets following his debate with Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who is running for reelection, and Libertarian opponent Robert Latham at Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.
The first words uttered by both Latham and King on stage acknowledged their status as underdogs in the race.
Three minutes before the broadcast started, Latham shouted, “Where are my Libertarians?” And a small pocket of cheers followed. King, who was drawn to give the first answer, said he is running for governor because, “You deserve a governor who will do hard things, no matter how difficult or uncertain.”
Early on in the debate, King leveled criticism at Cox for his about-face endorsement of former President Donald Trump as his National Governors Association campaign to “disagree better” concluded.
“The governor right now is simply acting inconsistently with his statements that he wants to disagree better,” he said, pointing out the ex-president’s efforts to overturn the results of the last presidential election.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who is running for reelection, debates Democratic challenger state Rep. Brian King and Libertarian opponent Robert Latham at Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.
Cox responded, saying, “It’s sad to me that my colleague would dismiss the vast majority of voters in our state who are going to support the former president,” adding he aims to continue to try bringing Utahns across the political spectrum together.
The incumbent governor and King volleyed attacks at each other based on legislation passed at the Capitol throughout the night, including one of the most hotly debated questions ahead of November — whether Utahns should approve a constitutional amendment proposed in an emergency special session giving lawmakers unfettered power to repeal or amend voter-passed initiatives.
A state district judge said earlier in the day she would rule that night as to whether the question should be included on the ballot.
Both King and Latham said they would vote against the amendment in November, but Cox remained coy as to where he sits on it. “The governor doesn’t have an opportunity to weigh in on constitutional amendments,” Cox said, while insisting the power to run ballot initiatives must remain available.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Democratic challenger state Rep. Brian King, right, debates Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who is running for reelection, and Libertarian opponent Robert Latham at Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.
“The governor is deceiving you in the same way the Legislature is,” King responded, pointing out that while the governor’s signature wasn’t required for the amendment, he did sign bills that enabled the question to be printed on the ballot. “He’s a lapdog for the most extreme and the most divisive voices in the Legislature.”
While answering questions from reporters after the debate, Cox refused to give a direct answer as to whether he will vote “for” or “against” Amendment D.
“If I could have written it, I would have done some things differently,” Cox said, adding, “I think on balance, it’s worth supporting, but it’s close.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Libertarian opponent Robert Latham during a debate with Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who is running for reelection, and Democratic challenger state Rep. Brian King at Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.
Invitations to participate in the debate were based on an August poll of 518 Utah voters as to which bubble they would fill in for governor, if the election were held then.
Of those who responded, 48% said they would cast a ballot for Cox, 27% backed King and just under 7% said Latham. The threshold for participation was 5.69%.
About 29 of the Utahns surveyed said they would vote for state representative and write-in candidate Phil Lyman, who lost to Cox in the June GOP primary. He missed qualifying by one-tenth of a percentage point.
The recording of the debate can be watched here.