On Tuesday new campaign ads for Utah’s gubernatorial race began circulating online. The ads—paid for in part by Republican candidate Spencer Cox’s campaign—feature both Cox and Democratic candidate Chris Peterson speaking about shared values and urging Utahns to choose civility.
Cox said the idea for the ads came from his increasing concerns over political rhetoric from everyone in the country, not just elected officials.
“It's okay to disagree without demonizing people that disagree with us or putting them down,” he said. “We actually can have really important differences and critical conversations without hating each other.”
There are many things Peterson said he and Cox disagree on, and those are conversations he wants to have in a productive manner.
“'I'm excited to talk about all the areas of policy where I think that we need reform and change,” Peterson said. “But that doesn't mean that we have to hate each other or that we should call each other names. We have to remember that we should treat each other the way that we want to be treated, and that we have to have civility in our discourse, if we're going to continue to be tied together as a successful nation.
When it comes to improving political dialogue in the United States, Cox said Americans can’t wait on Washington.
“We're Americans first, we're Utahns first, and we're Republicans and Democrats second,” he said. “And so I'm hopeful that other candidates in my party will look at this and think maybe I don't have to be so demeaning and degrading, I can do this better.
