Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox won the Republican nomination for governor on Monday, avoiding a challenge from former United States Ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr.
Cox captured a narrow lead with 36.4 percent of the vote over Huntsman’s 34.6 percent, The Associated Press reported Monday.
Cox’s victory in the primaries on June 30 gives him a great chance of victory in the conservative state in November.
FILE – Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox speaks during the daily briefing on the state’s efforts to fight COVID-19, June 25, 2020, at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo / Rick Bowmer, File)
Cox benefited from his current role as Lieutenant Governor and was backed by Republican Governor Gary Herbert, who is not seeking reelection. Huntsman had much recognition of his name in the state, where he served as governor from 2005 to 2009. He also served as the United States ambassador to China under President Barack Obama and ambassador to Russia under President Trump from 2017 to 2019, before to leave to mount his government campaign.
Cox has been critical of President Trump, but says he supports him. In January, Cox said he doesn’t like the president’s divisive style, but praised him for embracing Chinese business practices. “I think we need a governor who is honest about it,” he said.
Cox’s leadership role in responding to the state’s coronavirus pandemic increased its visibility. The choice was made entirely by mail, and Huntsman himself contracted the disease in the middle of his primary campaign.
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“The next four years will be critically important to Utah’s future,” Cox said in a statement Monday, referring to the rebuilding of the state’s pandemic-affected economy and the growth of the state’s rural and urban areas.
Huntsman, 60, has one of the best-known names in Utah, where buildings named after his industrial billionaire and philanthropist father Jon Huntsman, Huntsman’s daughter Abby Huntsman, left her place at “The View” in January to help to direct his father’s campaign. .
Cox, 44, is a political newcomer by comparison, having been first elected to state office in 2012 and named second-in-command of the state the following year.
Cox referred to himself as a “farm boy”, a reflection of how he leaned on his rural roots during the campaign and used his lead to cross the state, stopping in almost every small town before the coronavirus arrived. .
The race saw an unusual number of liberal-minded and independent voters crossing the party lines and registering as Republicans to vote in the primaries, with many saying it was the only way to have a voice in state-dominated state politics. Republican Party. Both Huntsman and Cox were seen as more moderate candidates.
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The Republican candidate will face Democrat law professor Chris Peterson in November.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
