A majority of Utah voters said they approve of Gov. Spencer Cox’s endorsement of former President Donald Trump, according to a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by HarrisX.
While the move came as a surprise to some of Cox’s closest allies, the poll found that his decision to jump on the Trump bandwagon was welcomed news by 58% of registered voters in the state — the exact same percentage who voted for Trump in 2020.
Despite apparent popular support for his decision, Cox told reporters during a monthly broadcast in July that the decision was not made for political reasons.
“None of this was based on a calculation,” Cox said. “This was all based on these intense feelings that I’ve had over the last week and the last year.”
Until recently, Cox was one of the few Republican leaders to publicly withhold his support for the party’s standard-bearer. Shortly after the failed assassination attempt on Trump, Cox reversed course.
The governor wrote the former president a letter, dated July 14, complimenting Trump’s brief call for unity. Cox pledged to “do everything I can to help Trump” win the election in an effort to “lower the temperature in this country.” In a later press conference, Cox confirmed that his support would result in a vote for Trump in November.
Cox’s decision came a month after a contentious GOP primary battle in which his opponent, state Rep. Phil Lyman, repeatedly attacked Cox for his lukewarm stance on Trump. And it came just a week after Cox said in an interview with CNN that he would not vote for the Republican nominee in 2024.
More than a third of Utahns, 34%, said they strongly approve of Cox’s re-election effort, according to the Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll, which also found that 31% of Utah voters have a “very favorable” opinion of Trump. A quarter of Utah voters somewhat approve of Cox’s endorsement, 11% somewhat disapprove and 22% strongly disapprove. Just under 10% said they weren’t sure.
The poll was conducted Aug. 2-9 among 800 registered Utah voters by HarrisX. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 3.5 percentage points.
Here’s the full dataset for the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute Utah poll.
What do Republicans think about Cox supporting Trump?
In his letter of recommendation, Cox expressed hope that Trump could lead the country into “a new era of peace, unity and prosperity.” The governor later clarified in an interview with The Atlantic that his emphasis on “Disagree Better” would be better executed if he were officially “on Trump’s team.”
Cox has previously said that he is not “anti-Trump,” only that he has “serious problems” with some of the former president’s policies and antics. After the Jan. 6 riot, Cox called for Trump to resign, saying it would be “good for the nation.” Earlier this year, Cox said Republicans would be making a “huge mistake” if they renominated Trump. In June, Politico declared Cox “the new face of Trump skepticism on the right.”
Nearly 80% of Republican voters in Utah said they approve of Cox’s change in tone, the poll found. Half of Utah Republicans said they “strongly approve,” 29% said they “somewhat approve,” 7% said they disapprove and 6% said they “strongly disapprove.”
The reverse was seen among Democratic voters in Utah, with 15 percent approving of Cox’s endorsement and 80 percent disapproving. Independent voters were split down the middle, with 44 percent approving of Cox’s endorsement and 44 percent disapproving.
“The extremism, division and hatred that Trump embodies does not reflect who we are as Utahns,” said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian King, noting the relatively unenthusiastic treatment Utah Republicans gave Trump in the state’s Republican preference poll.
“Unfortunately, Cox has decided that it is in his political interest to turn his back on Utahns and focus solely on Donald Trump and the extreme agenda he represents,” King continued. “We are building a coalition of pragmatists made up of Utahns from across the political spectrum who are looking for a different kind of leadership. Anyone disappointed in the governor’s clear, consistent lack of political courage is welcome to join us — for the better.”
Will Cox’s endorsement sway Utahns to support Trump?
Cox spent Monday morning with Trump at Arlington National Cemetery, where they paid tribute to the 13 U.S. service members who were killed outside Kabul airport three years ago, on Aug. 26, 2021. A photoshoot was held during the visit that showed the two men standing and walking together.
Cox is seen as a fairly popular governor, with an approval rating regularly approaching 65 percent. The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found that Cox’s U-turn from Trump is having some impact on Utah voters.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of Utah voters, including a third (32%) of Republicans, said Cox’s support for Trump makes them more likely to vote for Trump.
The vast majority of voters, 64%, said Cox’s support would have no impact on their presidential voting behavior, while 13% said it would make them less likely to vote for Trump.
The same Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found Cox on track to be re-elected by a large margin in the general election.
If the Utah gubernatorial election were held today, 59% of Utah registered voters would vote for Cox, the Republican candidate, according to the poll. Nineteen percent say they would vote for King, the Democratic candidate, and 23% say they don’t know or aren’t sure.
Cox’s lead increased by 4 percentage points as undecided voters had to choose between the two major party candidates whose names will appear on the ballot in November.
