As was expected, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox won Utah’s gubernatorial race on Tuesday evening. Due to COVID-19, he and his running mate Senator Diedre Henderson addressed supporters through Facebook Live from Fairview, Utah.
“My fellow Utahns, my promise to you—I'm not the governor of the Republican Party,” Cox said. “I'm the governor of the state of Utah. And that means all of us. I represent not just Republicans but Democrats and unaffiliated. Those who believe in things that are very different than me. No matter what your race, your creed, religion, whatever it is you believe in, whoever you are, we see you and we care deeply about you. We want your voices to be heard.”
As far as the future of the Republican party, Cox said are reconings that need to be made.
“If you believe in low taxes, there is a responsibility that comes with that. It's a responsibility to take care of those who are struggling, those who are living in intergenerational poverty, those who are homeless. We have to do more for them,” Cox said. “If we really want to stop abortions in this country, and I believe strongly in that, but if we truly believe that, we have a duty to reach out to the unwed-mother, to help those that are struggling to help those that are less fortunate than us.”
And when it comes to liberty, Cox said there must be a focus on ensuring everyone’s constitutional rights are protected.
“We must be the party of civil rights,” he said. “We must be the party of the downtrodden. We've given up too many of these issues to other parties, and let them define us. We cannot be a party of selfishness, we must forever be a party of selflessness.”
Cox will replace retiring Gov. Gary Herbert in January.