Utahns supported former president Donald Trump more than they did Gov. Spencer Cox in all but two of Utah’s 29 counties, based on early returns from the 2024 election.
Trump and Cox were the frontrunners in the race for U.S. President and Utah governor, respectively, but Beehive State voters were more enthusiastic about getting Trump back into the White House than returning Cox to the governor’s mansion.
Trump and running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio had about 53,000 more votes statewide than Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, according to early, unofficial returns from Wednesday evening.
One of Trump’s votes in Utah came from Cox, who made an abrupt U-turn and endorsed the twice-impeached former president after not voting for him in 2016 or 2020. The governor later used a photo with Trump and the Utah family of a fallen Marine at Arlington National Cemetery in a campaign email. The reverential site explicitly prohibits political events, and Cox later said the email, which offered the recipient the option of donating to his reelection bid, was sent in mistake.
Trump’s margin of support over Cox varied across the state as of Wednesday evening from 50 votes in Daggett County, Utah’s least populous, to more than 12,000 votes in Utah and Washington counties.
Support for Cox only surpassed Trump in two of Utah’s bluest counties. As of Wednesday afternoon, early returns show the governor’s margin of support in Salt Lake County was more than 7,500 votes over Trump, while about 500 votes separated the two in Summit County.
The results in this election so far contrast greatly with 2020, when Cox and Henderson got about 53,000 more votes than Trump and then-running mate Mike Pence.
In 2020, then-President Trump and Pence led in 19 counties. Cox and Henderson led in ten, including all of the Wasatch Front, Wasatch Back and Grand County.
This story may be updated as the state posts more election results.
Megan Banta is The Salt Lake Tribune’s data enterprise reporter, a philanthropically supported position. The Tribune retains control over all editorial decisions.
