SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has won reelection, beating a Democratic state lawmaker to secure his second term in office despite recent confusion about the governor's political leanings.
Cox, long seen as a moderate Republican, was heavily favored to win in deep red Utah. But his unexpected choice to back Donald Trump for the first time this year risked his reputation with his moderate voting base.
The governor defeated Democrat Brian King, a trial lawyer and state representative who served for eight years as Utah's House minority leader.
Cox watched results roll in from the Governor's Mansion in downtown Salt Lake City where he held a private party for family and friends that was closed to the press. He thanked Utah voters in a brief statement on the social media platform X.
''I am honored by your trust and eager to continue my work for another four years as your governor,'' Cox said.
His victory still leaves voters wondering what they should expect from him over the next four years — the moderate he had been for most of his first-term or the Trump loyalist he became in the heat of election season.
Utah voters tend to favor moderate Republicans such as John Curtis, who won Mitt Romney's open U.S. Senate seat, in statewide elections.
Cox suddenly endorsed Trump after the July assassination attempt on the former president at a Pennsylvania rally. He wrote in a letter of support that he believed Trump could save the country ''by emphasizing unity rather than hate.''
