Gov. Cox didn’t answer survey questions on key policy issues. Here’s what challengers King and Latham say.

Amid Republican Gov. Spencer Cox’s bid to win a second term in office, longtime state lawmaker Rep. Brian King is challenging him in an effort to become the first Democrat to lead the state since the 1980s.

Coming off of a primary race in which GOP delegates picked Cox’s competitor and Republican voters sided with the incumbent governor, King has, in part, pinned his hopes on Phil Lyman’s write-in effort. His campaign ran an ad with the Republican in which they both expressed their belief that Cox shouldn’t be reelected.

Both King and Libertarians’ chosen candidate, Robert Latham, have taken digs at Cox for not opposing efforts by the supermajority Republican Legislature to grow its power — including his refusal to say how he would vote on a now-voided proposed amendment to gut voter initiatives.

The Salt Lake Tribune submitted the same set of questions, based on top issues readers said they were watching in this election, to each candidate. The questions and their answers that appear below — with the candidates listed in alphabetical order — may have been edited slightly for length, style or grammar.

Utah’s largest electricity provider has canceled plans to replace its coal-fired power plants with nuclear power and has walked back comments about investing in clean energy. Should Utah be looking for more sustainable and less fossil fuel and carbon-dependent energy sources? If so, how?

Spencer Cox: Did not answer.

Brian King: Not only do we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our natural resources, but we have a duty to protect our economy and our quality of life for generations to come. As governor, I will keep the state government out of the way and instead allow the innovation of the free market to guide our energy policy without picking winners and losers, bolstering our economic growth by focusing on the future, not the past.

Robert Latham: I believe that taxpayers should not be extorted to subsidize any particular form of energy, including fossil fuels or alternative energy sources. Instead, competitive free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. Therefore, Utahns should support a deregulated, market-driven transition to more sustainable and less carbon-dependent energy sources without government intervention or subsidies.

What policy changes would you support or propose to address Utah’s affordable housing crisis?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: In the number one economy in the country, middle-class families should not be struggling to buy a home. We need to build more housing, and we need a higher proportion of it to be starter homes that are affordable for young families. We also have to give municipalities the flexibility to enact housing and zoning policies that make sense for them. We need to do more to stop out-of-state speculators and corporations from buying our housing stock as an investment, raising costs for Utahns.

Latham: The Libertas Institute-championed “Free to Build” initiative could increase Utah’s housing stock by eliminating state/local government barriers — such as minimum lot sizes — to truly attainable housing, like cottage court homes. SB240, passed in 2023 by the Utah Legislature, which authorizes taxpayer-funded $20,000 down payments for new home purchases, should be repealed. This “developer corporate welfare” artificially props up housing prices under the pretext of improving housing affordability.

Following the Utah Supreme Court’s recent decision to keep a near-total abortion ban blocked, anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates called for additional legislative action to circumvent the court-ordered injunction. Would you sign legislation banning abortion after six weeks?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: No.

Latham: No.

Would you support a state constitutional amendment to ban abortion?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: No.

Latham: No.

Would you support legislation that protects fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: Yes. As someone who has been on the receiving end of the news that an expected pregnancy wouldn’t make it, I believe that the last people who should be making personal, impactful decisions about when and how to start a family are legislators and the governor. Unfortunately, politicians are trying to restrict our freedoms even further, putting IVF treatments at risk, which thousands of Utahns rely on. I trust families to know what’s best for them, and I would proudly sign a bill to protect IVF.

Latham: I prefer decriminalization — meaning that the state of Utah’s statutory law not touch fertility treatments at all — to legalization. That said, if legislation protecting fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization crossed my desk I would not veto it. The Libertarian Party’s platform, which I affirm, “oppose[s] governments … restricting voluntary access to … medical treatments or procedures.”

Do you support further expansion of Utah’s school vouchers program?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: No.

Latham: No.

Are you voting for or against the constitutional amendment that removes the requirement that income taxes be used for education and social services? Why?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: Against. Amendment A is an existential threat to the future of our public education system. Our public schools need more funding, not less.

Latham: For. Market-based educational services should replace government-run schools. Separating education from income taxes frees teachers and education consumers

A Utah judge has voided Amendment D and said votes for or against it cannot be counted, but the state plans to appeal. Do you support changing the Utah Constitution to guarantee that the Legislature can repeal or amend ballot initiatives?

Cox: Did not answer.

King: No.

Latham: No.