Gubernatorial candidates debate ‘the golden age of Utah’

Gov. Spencer Cox declared this the “golden age of Utah” during a televised debate on Wednesday night. His general election opponents agreed.
But while Cox credited the Beehive State’s booming economy and 2034 Olympics with the legislative accomplishments of his first term, Democratic state Rep. Brian King and Libertarian attorney Robert Latham argued the governor’s approach risked cutting Utah’s golden age short.
King rehashed Cox’s flip-flop on former President Donald Trump and attempted to align Cox with the most “extreme” elements within the Republican Party. Latham criticized Cox for what he saw as a pattern of government “cronyism” that picks winners and losers to the benefit of lawmakers and corporations.
Cox pointed forward to his administration’s ambitious housing goals and touted historic tax cuts, teacher raises and tough stances on social media companies. The governor focused his message on Utah’s recent ranking as the No. 1 overall state for the second year running.
“You have a choice to keep Utah values, the things that have made us the best state in the nation,” Cox said in his concluding remarks. “I believe again that the conservative values that we hold dear are exactly what every state in this nation needs and the entire country needs to make our country a better place.”
The candidates appeared onstage before a live audience in the Salt Lake Community College Grand Theatre for 50 minutes of questions moderated by Jason Perry, director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.
Cox and King took turns criticizing each others’ voting record, offering occasionally heated rebuttals, while Latham took advantage of the broader audience to increase awareness of his candidacy.
“I’m running for governor not to tell you how to live your life, I’m going to be your liberator,” said Latham, who also made the debate stage during his 2020 bid for the 2nd Congressional District. “If you trust in your ability to make decisions, rather than have a king or a bureaucrat make them for you, please join us.”
A recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found Cox leading his competition by 40 percentage points, with 56% of voter support compared to King’s 17% and Latham’s 4%. Nearly 20% of voters were unsure.
The debate featured multiple student questions. One asked Cox, King and Latham their stance on a constitutional amendment approved by the Legislature that would empower lawmakers to freely change or repeal all laws that originated as citizen initiatives.
Cox said he recognized the importance of initiatives but supported the amendment because the peoples’ representatives need to be able to craft the best legislation for the state. Ballot initiatives are rare in the best-run states across the nation, Cox claimed, but are very common in states like California.
In a postdebate press availability, Cox said he will vote “yes” to pass the amendment but said “he understands why people are opposed to it.” If it were up to him, the language on the ballot would be different, Cox said. Critics have called the ballot language for Amendment D, which was crafted by state Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz, “slanted” and unclear.
King called the move by legislative leadership “nothing but a power grab” in reaction to a Utah Supreme Court ruling they disagreed with. “This is deceptive and deceitful and it is something that every Utahn should come out to the polls and vote against.” Latham said he would also vote “no,” echoing King’s concerns and calling the legislature’s alleged disregard for citizen initiatives to reform the government “offensive.”
King said Cox’s emphasis on Utah’s best-in-the-nation status does not reflect the struggles many middle- and working-class Utahns are facing. King promised more bipartisan bills reflecting a more balanced approach to public education funding, abortion access and economic inequality.
“If we’re the best economy in the country, why is it so many people have such difficulty getting into a home?” King asked. “There’s so much more we need to do.”
Cox called housing supply his “top priority,” saying in the most recent legislative session his administration had taken unprecedented steps to address Utah’s shortage of affordable housing, which is one of the worst in the nation.
Working with developers, local leaders and financial institutions, the Utah Legislature passed an innovative package of bills in 2024 making it easier for developers to get loans for starter home projects and streamlining the permitting process for cities, Cox said.
The governor reiterated his goal of incentivizing the construction of 35,000 starter homes over the next five years. “We have to build. It is the only answer,” Cox said.
Latham expressed concern that the governor’s efforts, short of more deregulation, would do little to overcome market forces and instead would line the pockets of homebuilders, who make up a disproportionate number of Utah’s part-time legislature.
Subsidies for first-time homebuyers and construction companies constitute nothing less than a boost for developers’ “bottom line,” Latham said. Instead of “crony capitalism,” Latham proposed the “free to build” model from the libertarian Utah-based Libertas Institute that encourages smaller lot sizes, and compact community design over classic single-family homes.
When it comes to rising energy prices, King blamed the Legislature — led by Cox — for clinging to coal while refusing to keep up with renewable energy like wind, solar and hydro. Cox rejected King’s claim, calling for an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy production and saying “there is no common sense on the left when it comes to energy production.”
Cox blamed Democratic policies on the federal level for stifling projects that would increase the amount of sustainable energy sources while decreasing the price.
The general election is Nov. 5. Registered voters will receive their mail-in ballots beginning the middle of October.