Spencer Cox (politician)

After law school, Cox was a law clerk for judge Ted Stewart of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. After his clerkship, Cox joined Fabian and Clendenin, a Salt Lake City law firm. He returned to rural Utah and became a vice president of Centracom.[4]

Cox was elected as a city councilor of Fairview, Utah in 2004,[3] and mayor the next year. In 2008, he was elected as a Sanpete County commissioner.[5][6][2] Cox was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2012 and became the first member to call for the impeachment of John Swallow, the attorney general of Utah, over violations of campaign finance laws.[7] Cox and Lieutenant Governor Bell served as co-chairs of Governor Herbert's Rural Partnership Board.[8]

In October 2013, Herbert selected Cox to succeed Bell as lieutenant governor following Bell's resignation.[8] The Utah Senate's Government Operations Confirmation Committee unanimously approved his nomination on October 15.[9] The next day, the full Utah Senate confirmed him unanimously and he was sworn in.[10] As lieutenant governor, Cox produced a report on Swallow's financial interests, demonstrating that Swallow had failed to properly disclose all of his income and business interests. Swallow resigned before the report's release.[11]

In the 2016 Utah gubernatorial election, Cox was elected to a full term as lieutenant governor as Herbert's running mate.[12][13]

Cox has vetoed five bills as of 2022, all of which were Republican-backed (the Utah Legislature has a Republican supermajority).

Cox's first veto was of a bill sponsored by his brother-in-law, Senator Mike McKell, which sought to regulate the way social media platforms moderate content.[25] Cox also vetoed Senate Bill 187: Local Education Agency Policies Amendments, sponsored by Ronald Winterton; Senate Bill 39: Hemp Regulation Amendments, sponsored by David Hinkins; and House Bill 98: Local Government Building Regulation Amendments, sponsored by Paul Ray.[26][27][28]

In March 2022, Cox vetoed House Bill 11: Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Activities, sponsored by Kera Birkeland, which aimed to prevent transgender youth athletes from participating in women's sports. Cox noted that of Utah's 75,000 student athletes, only four were transgender and only one competed in women's sports.[29] The legislature overrode his veto.[30]

Cox identifies himself as pro-life[39] and opposes abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother.[40]

In May 2022, after the leaking of the draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, Cox expressed support for the decision, but decried the leak, saying, "While we are encouraged and optimistic at the possibility that the abortion law will be left to the duly elected representatives of the states, draft rulings are not actual rulings and leaked drafts are a dangerous violation of court protocol and deliberations."[41]

On June 24, 2022, Cox expressed his support for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and said: "This administration has been dedicated to giving a voice to the most vulnerable in our society, including the unborn. We wholeheartedly support this Supreme Court ruling and are encouraged to see abortion law will be left to elected state representatives. As pro-life advocates, this administration is equally committed to supporting women and families in Utah. We all need to do more to support mothers, pregnant women, and children facing poverty and trauma."[42]

In March 2023, Cox signed a bill banning abortion clinics from operating in Utah and requiring abortions to be performed in a hospital.[43] The law was issued a temporary injunction by Third District Court Judge Andrew Stone a day before it was to take effect.[44]

Cox opposes the use of the Antiquities Act to create national monuments, saying that he believes monument designations hurt the landscapes they are meant to protect. He has expressed opposition to the restored boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and to the creation of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.[45]

In February 2021, Cox signed a constitutional carry bill to allow individuals to carry a firearm in public without a permit, making Utah the 17th state to do so.[46]

In June 2022, Cox said in a press conference that he was open to discussing a red flag law with the legislature.[47]

On June 13, 2016, Cox spoke at a vigil in Salt Lake City honoring those who died in the Orlando nightclub shooting the day before. He surprised many when he apologized for mistreating schoolmates and his lack of support for the LGBTQ community.[48][49] He aimed part of his speech at the "straight community":[50]

How did you feel when you heard that 49 people had been gunned down by a self-proclaimed terrorist? That’s the easy question. Here is the hard one: Did that feeling change when you found out the shooting was at a gay bar at 2 a.m. in the morning? If that feeling changed, then we are doing something wrong.

Cox has further shown support for the LGBTQ+ community by supporting Governor Herbert's signing an executive order on January 21, 2020, to ban conversion therapy after a bill to do so died in the State Senate in May 2019.[51][52]

In an April 2021 town hall meeting, Cox announced his personal pronouns are "he", "him", and "his".[53]

In March 2022, Cox vetoed HB11, which would ban transgender youth from participating in high school sports, noting that only four trans kids were playing high school sports in the state at the time. "These kids, they're just trying to stay alive", he said, referring to studies showing that 56% of trans youth have attempted suicide.[54][55]

On June 1, 2022, Cox became the first Utah governor to recognize June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month when he issued an official proclamation and encouraged Utahns to "be more welcoming and accepting of the LGBTQ community".[56]

On January 28, 2023, Cox signed Senate Bill 16, which bans gender-affirming surgery for patients under 18.[57]