The presidential election is almost here. But infighting within both parties is still making major headlines.
As Governor Spencer Cox maintains his anti-Trump stance ahead of the 2024 election.
The Left has had their fair share of infighting in recent months.
Whether that’s over the Israel-Hamas conflict or if President Joe Biden should drop out of the race.
But now the GOP is having their moment in the spotlight regarding infighting of their own.
And this time it involves the governor of Utah and Donald Trump.
Gov. Cox Announces He Will Not Support Trump in Presidential Race
In a recent interview on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R-UT) reiterated his decision not to support former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. Cox, who has consistently distanced himself from Trump in previous election cycles, confirmed he will again write in a candidate on Election Day.
“I’m not going to vote for either presidential candidate this year. I’ll write somebody in, as I’ve done in the past,” Cox stated when asked about his support for the top of the Republican ticket.
Despite his personal decision, Cox expressed a desire for Trump’s success and the overall victory of his party. “I do want Donald Trump to succeed. I want my party to win. We desperately need the right people in the right positions. I’m very anxious about who he picks as vice president,” he added, highlighting Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) as a notable potential vice-presidential candidate.
Cox’s reservations about Trump date back to the former president’s first campaign in 2016.
Since then, he has refrained from voting for the Republican nominee, a trend that began after he cast his vote for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) in 2012.
Reflecting on this history, Cox remarked, “I’ve said before I haven’t voted for the top of the ticket since 2012. I’ve certainly had my concerns. One of those is what happened on Jan. 6. I’m hopeful. I want my party to win [but] they chose a candidate this time around that was not my first choice, which wasn’t my choice last time either, but the party’s spoken.”
The interview also touched on the issue of fake electors involved in attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, who are slated to attend the Republican National Convention next week.
Cox acknowledged the controversy but remained optimistic. “Obviously, it’s not the best look, Kaitlan, but I’m very hopeful that at the national convention, the Republicans will have an opportunity to turn the page on that stuff and present a hopeful message to the country. I think that the country is desperate for some normalcy right now, and neither party has been giving them that normalcy,” he commented.
Cox expressed his concerns about election denialism, especially in light of his recent primary challenge, which, although unsuccessful, has not been conceded by his opponent, who is considering legal actions.
He recalled a similar scenario from 2016 when he served as lieutenant governor and secretary of state, where Hillary Clinton supporters sought to overturn the vote of Trump-bound electors.
“Of course, it got worse in 2020 with my party,” he noted.
“I do worry that this is happening with the fringes of the party and now more of the mainstream of the party. I’m just a big believer that we should actually be trying to win elections the right way and try to convince people that we have the message that matters,” Cox concluded, emphasizing his commitment to integrity in the electoral process.
Stay tuned to The Fairview Gazette.
