Republican governors have long defended politeness and were an outspoken critic of political polarization. He again pleaded after announcing his arrest for Charlie Kirk’s death.
Utah Governor urges peace of political violence
Utah Governor Spencer Cox spoke with young people and urged peace against political violence.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk a “political assassination.”
- Cox urged Americans to reject political violence and find a better way to oppose it.
- The governor has a history of promoting courtesy, including his “disagree” initiative.
- Politicians from both Utah parties praised Cox’s call for unity and respectful debate.
Our country is broken.
These were one of the first words Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said when young conservative activist Charlie Kirk faced cameras shortly after he was shot down in his state while he was in conversation with a college student.
Republican governors have long defended courtesy in public discourse and were an outspoken critic of political polarization. He toured the country to promote healthier disagreements and once appeared in campaign ads alongside his democratic opponents.
But this week, Cox found himself dressed in the dark division of the Utah Public Safety Department’s polo shirt, explaining what’s inconceivable, what Kirk calls “political assassination.”
“We are grieving as a nation. If the person in the sound of my voice celebrates a bit with this shooting news, I ask you to look in the mirror and see if you can find a better angel somewhere,” he said. “I don’t care what his politics is, I don’t care that he is American.”
Cox has listed other recent incidents of political violence targeting individuals across the political spectrum. He pointed out the killings in Minnesota. There, an arson attempt against Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose state’s Democrats and her husband were killed – and the life of Republican President Donald Trump.
“We desperately need leaders in our country, but more than leaders, we need everyone in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be,” Cox said. “To ask us ourselves, is this it? Is this what 250 years have brought us?
“I hope that’s not the case.”
Cox hits “good balance”
The sixth generation, Yutun, Cox, 50, were born and raised in Fairview, in the heart of the state. Cox, a training lawyer, serves on a variety of civil servants, including city councillors, mayors, county commissioners and state legislators, before being appointed lieutenant governor of Utah in 2013.
Those who followed Cox’s political career are not surprised that his comments moved beyond the partisan rhetoric race, beyond social media and Kirk’s death.
At the same time, Cox wasn’t afraid to lean on his conservative roots by reminding people that Utah still has the death penalty, saying that he would be responsible for the “furtherest range of the law.”
Cox’s comments were balanced, said Bruce Huff, a former Republican National Committee member and former chairman of the Utah Republican Party.
He made it clear that while in charge of justice, the full power of the judicial system will be used against those responsible for killings.
“He was very effective not only in the fear of such incidents, but also in his ability to communicate the importance of people gathering together in a way that is not full of rage,” he said. “We need to unite society in a way that allows us to oppose not to be violent, without anger or respect for each other’s views.”
Cox hopes Americans will “better against”
From 2023 to 2024, Cox served as chairman of the National Association of Governors.
His signature initiative, called “Disagree,” is intended to find ways to oppose people moving towards solutions through public discussions, service projects and public service announcements.
Mark Thomas, who served as Cox’s chief of staff for four years, noted that while he was lieutenant governor, Cox went with Democratic opponent Chris Peterson on the last day of the duo’s 2020 governor’s campaign.
“We can discuss issues without degrading each other’s characters,” Peterson said in the ad. “In Utah, we win and lose, we work together.”
“We can oppose each other without hating each other,” adds Cox. “Let’s show the country that there is a better way.”
Now Utah Senator Thomas said Cox is always trying to find the best way to navigate the issues that day.
“We’ve been doing a kind of epic experiment over the past decade, as social media has become such an integral part of our lives,” he said. “And we say we wouldn’t say otherwise, except on social media.”
Democrat Utah Sen. Luz Escamilla has known Cox for over a decade. She said it reflects the “Utah style” where Cox engages in various conversations.
“We call it the Utah method,” she said. “We are not perfect, but we agree to oppose it in a respectful way, but hopefully we find consensus on good public policy.”
Republican Utah Senator Kristen Cheblier said civil discourse should be given in the US.
“Leadership at moments like this is about getting together, getting up on the department and helping people heal, especially the young people who were there,” she said. “For some reason, we need to stop being caused by differences.”
She said she agreed to Cox’s approach.
“Our country was founded amid a heated debate,” she said.
Emily Stebridge, who lives in Lehigh, about a 20-minute drive from Utah Valley University, said she would have attended Kirk’s event if she hadn’t traveled.
Registered Republicans said they appreciated the governor’s measured comments.
“People who have been awarded a unique leadership position have a responsibility to be an example of kindness and care for our peers,” she said. “It’s incredibly discouraging to see anything less than that. It’s small, personal, everyday acts that lead to actual change.”
“It’s an attack on all of us.”
On the morning of September 12th, Cox once again led a press conference on Kirk’s death. This time, we announced the arrest of the suspect in the assassination. He urged the Americans to come with him again.
“It’s important that we open our eyes wide and understand what’s going on in our country today,” Cox said, adjacent to state and federal officials, including FBI director Kash Patel. “I’ve heard you say, ‘Why, why, why are we so invested in this? It’s tragic everywhere that violence is happening across our country.” ”
Kash Patel closes his remarks with “Valhalla” homage to Charlie Kirk
Kash Patel commented on the ongoing investigation into Charlie Kirk’s murder and closed it down with a farewell message to Kirk.
“Every life filmed is a child of God who deserves our love, respect and dignity,” Cox added. “This is certainly about tragic deaths, assassinations, the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, but it’s much greater than an attack on individuals. It’s an attack on all of us. It’s an attack on American experiments. It’s an attack on our ideals.
Cox then pointed out that political violence is different. Freedom of expression is being enshrined in the founding of the state and Kirk’s death while engaging in free speech.
“We can never solve all other issues, especially violence issues where people worry about ideas that you don’t agree with, if they don’t have a safe and secure conflict of ideas,” the governor continued. “That’s why this is so important.”
Cox then turned his attention to the young Americans – those who loved Kirk and those who hated him. Cox urged all political persuasion people – “All America, Republicans, Democrats, Freedom, Liberals, Progressive, Conservative, Maga, all of us” – to reject political violence and find a common foundation.
“Your generation has the opportunity to build a culture that is very different from what we are suffering from now,” he said.
“We can return violence with violence,” the governor continued. “We can return hatred with hatred. It’s a matter of political violence. It’s transiting because we can always point our fingers to the other side.
“I still believe in our country and I know that Charlie Kirk believed in our country,” Cox said before asking about the investigation. “I still believe there is something better between us than evil, and we still believe we can change the course of history.”
Contributed by Duane W. Gang
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA Today. x You can follow her at @swapnavenugopal
