2024 Utah gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2024 United States gubernatorial elections.

2024 Utah gubernatorial election

November 5, 2024
Reporting	61.5% as of 6:03 PM MDT
Nominee Spencer Cox Brian King Phil Lyman (write-in) Party Republican Democratic Independent Republican Running mate Deidre Henderson Rebekah Cummings Natalie Clawson (write-in) Popular vote 524,702 281,262 80,189 Percentage 56.4% 30.2% 8.6%
County results
Governor before election Spencer Cox Republican Elected Governor Spencer Cox Republican

The 2024 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of Utah, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican governor Spencer Cox won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee, state Representative Brian King and Republican state Representative Phil Lyman, who ran as a write-in candidate after being defeated in the Republican primary.^[1] Primary elections took place on June 25, 2024.^[2]

Background

Utah is considered to be a strongly red state at the federal and state levels: Republicans control all statewide executive offices, the entire congressional delegation, and supermajorities in both state legislative chambers. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Utah by 20.5 percentage points.^[3][4]

Cox was first elected in 2020, defeating Christopher Peterson by 32.65 points.^[5]

Republican primary

Incumbent Republican governor Spencer Cox faced criticism from many conservatives for his moderate political positions, including his opposition to former president Donald Trump.^[6] Cox was booed at the Utah Republican state convention in April 2024.^[7] He faced a primary challenge from state representative Phil Lyman, who won over 67% of the vote at the convention.^[8] However, Cox collected enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot. Cox consistently led Lyman in polls and won re-nomination, though by a closer margin than expected.^[9]

Candidates

Nominee

• Spencer Cox, incumbent governor^[10]
  • Running mate: Deidre Henderson, incumbent lieutenant governor^[10]

Eliminated in primary

• Phil Lyman, state representative^[11]
  • Running mate: Natalie Clawson, attorney^[12]
  • Previous running mate: Layne Bangerter, former special assistant to the president^[13]

Eliminated at convention

• Sylvia Miera-Fisk, commercial pilot^[11]
• Carson Jorgensen, former chair of the Utah Republican Party (2021–2023) and candidate for Utah's 2nd congressional district in 2020^[11]
  • Running mate: Corrine Johnson, activist^[14]
• Scott Robbins, U.S. Marine Corps veteran^[11]

Declined

• Jason Chaffetz, former U.S. representative from Utah's 3rd congressional district (2009–2017)^[15]
• Robert O'Brien, former U.S. National Security Advisor (2019–2021)^[16][17]

Endorsements

Phil Lyman

Individuals

• Riley Gaines, competitive swimmer^[18]

Political parties

• Utah Republican Party^[11]

Organizations

• Eagle Forum^[19]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 18, 2024
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Spencer Cox (R)	$2,094,117	$1,448,573	$645,543
Phil Lyman (R)	$1,320,381	$864,201	$456,179
Source: State of Utah Financial Disclosures[20][21]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Spencer Cox	Phil Lyman	Other	Undecided
Noble Predictive Insights	June 20–21, 2024	432 (LV)	± 4.7%	55%	42%	2%[b]	1%
HarrisX[A]	June 4–7, 2024	477 (RV)	± 4.5%	62%	25%	–	12%
Noble Predictive Insights	April 8–16, 2024	283 (RV)	± 5.8%	51%	4%	9%[c]	36%
Dan Jones & Associates	January 16–21, 2024	428 (RV)	± 4.7%	50%	3%	11%[d]	37%

Results

Convention

Republican convention results
Candidate/Running mate	Round 1		Round 2
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Phil Lyman/Layne Bangerter	1663	44.24%	2495	67.54%
Spencer Cox/Deidre Henderson	1085	28.86%	1199	32.46%
Carson Jorgensen/Corrine Johnson	970	25.80%	Eliminated
Scott Robbins	21	0.56%	Eliminated
Sylvia Miera-Fisk	20	0.53%	Eliminated
Inactive Ballots	2 ballots		4 ballots

Debate

2024 Utah gubernatorial election Republican primary debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Cox	Lyman
1	Jun. 11, 2024	Utah Debate Commission	Carolina Ballard	YouTube	P	P

Primary

Results by county:

  Cox

•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  Lyman

•   50–60%
•   70–80%

Republican primary results^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Spencer Cox (incumbent) Deidre Henderson (incumbent)	232,164	54.40%
	Republican	Phil Lyman Natalie Clawson	194,639	45.60%
Total votes			426,803	100.00%

Aftermath

Lyman later sued, claiming that the Republican convention was responsible for selecting the party's nominee and that the primary was illegal. The Utah Supreme Court rejected his argument.^[23] Lyman later announced that he would run as a write-in candidate.^[24]

Cox has since backed Trump after an assassination attempt made during a rally on July 13, stating in a letter: "Your life was spared. Now, because of that miracle, you have the opportunity to do something that no other person on earth can do right now: unify and save our country."^[25] Cox also stated in a later news conference: “I am doing everything I can to help and support him...We will still have lots of disagreements, I’m sure, and we’ll still do everything we can to help the state of Utah and help the Republican Party be successful.”^[26]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Brian King, state representative from the 23rd district (2009–present) and former Minority Leader of the Utah House of Representatives (2015–2023)^[27]
  • Running mate: Rebekah Cummings, director of digital matters at the University of Utah^[28]

Endorsements

Brian King

Political parties

• Utah Democratic Party^[29]

Libertarian Party

Candidates

Nominee

• Robert Latham, attorney, nominee for lieutenant governor in 2012, and nominee for Utah's 2nd congressional district in 2020^[30]
  • Running mate: Barry Short, businessman, perennial candidate, and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2016 and 2020^[30]

Independent American Party

Candidates

Nominee

• Tommy Williams, perennial candidate and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022^[30]
  • Running mate: Archie Williams, heavy equipment operator and perennial candidate^[30]

Independents

Candidates

Declared

• Tom Tomeny, businessman^[30]
  • Running mate: William Lansing Taylor, geologist^[30]

Other candidates

Republican write-in

• Phil Lyman, state representative^[31]
  • Running mate: Natalie Clawson^[30]

General election

Debates

2024 Utah gubernatorial election debates^[32]

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Democratic	Libertarian	Write-in
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Cox	King	Latham	Lyman
1	Sep. 11, 2024	Utah Debate Commission	Jason Perry	YouTube	P	P	P	N

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[33]	Solid R	July 13, 2024
Inside Elections[34]	Solid R	July 14, 2023
Sabato's Crystal Ball[35]	Safe R	June 4, 2024
RCP[36]	Solid R	July 13, 2024
Elections Daily[37]	Safe R	July 12, 2023
CNalysis[38]	Solid R	August 17, 2024

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Spencer Cox (R)	Brian King (D)	Robert Latham (L)	Tommy Williams (I)	Other	Undecided
Noble Predictive Insights	October 25-28, 2024	695 (LV)	± 3.7%	43%	26%	3%	3%	18%[e]	6%
HarrisX[A]	October 15–19, 2024	813 (RV)	± 3.4%	51%	19%	3%	4%	2%[f]	22%
				61%	21%	4%	7%	6%[g]	–
Noble Predictive Insights	October 2–7, 2024	539 (LV)	± 4.22%	54%	26%	–	–	–	20%
				49%	23%	2%	2%	5%[h]	19%
		600 (RV)	± 4.0%	52%	26%	–	–	–	21%
Public Policy Polling (D)[B]	September 27–28, 2024	612 (LV)	± 4.0%	45%	32%	–	–	–	23%
				35%	24%	3%	–	19%[i]	18%
Lighthouse Research[C]	August 29 – September 4, 2024	518 (RV)	± 4.31%	48%	27%	7%	4%	8%[j]	5%
HarrisX[A]	August 2–9, 2024	800 (RV)	± 3.5%	56%	17%	4%	6%	–	17%
				59%	19%	–	–	–	22%

Results

2024 Utah gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Spencer Cox Deidre Henderson	524,702	56.4%	−6.59%
	Democratic	Brian King Rebekah Cummings	281,262	30.2%	−0.12%
	Independent Republican	Phil Lyman (write-in) Natalie Clawson (write-in)	80,189	8.6%	N/A
	Libertarian	Robert Latham Barry Evan Short	23,869	2.6%	−0.95%
	Independent American	Tommy Williams Archie Williams	16,819	1.8%	+0.04%
	Independent	Tom Tomeny William Lansing Taylor	3,457	0.4%	N/A
	Independent	Charlie Tautuaa	158	0.0%	N/A
Total votes			930,456	100.0%

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. "Would not vote" with 2%
3. Scott Robbins with 4%; Sylvia Fisk with 3%; Carson Jorgenson with 2%
4. Scott Robbins with 5%; Sylvia Fisk and Carson Jorgenson with 3%
5. Lyman (Write-in) with 15%; "Refused" with 3%
6. Tomeny (I) with 2%
7. Tomeny (I) with 6%
8. Lyman (Write-in) with 5%
9. Lyman (Write-In) with 19%
10. Tomeny (I) with 2%

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by the Deseret News and the University of Utah
2. Poll sponsored by Brian King's campaign
3. Poll sponsored by the Utah Debate Commission.

References

1. "Utah Governor Election Results 2024: Cox vs. Smith King". The New York Times. November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
2. "2024 State Primary Election Dates". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
3. "Party control of Utah state government". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
4. "Utah 2020 presidential election results". www.cnn.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
5. "Utah 2020 gubernatorial results". www.cnn.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
6. Samuel Benson (February 15, 2024). "Utah Gov. Cox: Republicans making 'a huge mistake' if they nominate Trump". Deseret News. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
7. Hannah Schoenbaum (June 12, 2024). "Utah governor defends record in primary debate after harsh reception at GOP convention". AP News. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
8. Brigham Tomco (April 27, 2024). "Phil Lyman beats Gov. Spencer Cox at Utah GOP convention. Both advance to primary". Deseret News. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
9. Suzanne Bates (June 8, 2024). "Poll shows Cox far ahead of Lyman in Utah Republican primary". Deseret News. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
10. McKellar, Katie (April 21, 2022). "Are Utah Republicans mad at Gov. Cox for transgender veto? Let political chips fall, he says". Deseret News. Retrieved April 25, 2022. Cox has said he does intend to run for reelection in 2024.
11. Schott, Bryan; Anderson Stern, Emily (April 27, 2024). "Beat at GOP convention, Gov. Cox tells delegates: 'Maybe you just hate that I don't hate enough.'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
12. Price, Carlysle (May 4, 2024). "Phil Lyman announces Natalie Clawson as selection for lieutenant govornor". KSL-TV. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
13. Emily Stern (May 3, 2024). "Judge says Phil Lyman's running mate stays off Utah Republicans' primary ballot — has days to find a new one". The Salt Lake Tribune.
14. Schott, Bryan (April 25, 2024). "Carson Jorgensen taps Utah Parents United founder as GOP running mate in 2024 gubernatorial race". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
15. Aertz, Lindsay (September 20, 2023). "Jason Chaffetz not closing the door, not actively pursuing 2024 run for Senate or governor". KSL (radio network). "That's not something I'm planning to do, challenging Governor Cox is not in my plans," he said of 2024. But he said he is keeping his eye on a possible 2028 run for Utah governor.
16. "Are Jason Chaffetz or Robert O'Brien planning to run for office in Utah?". February 21, 2023.
17. Tomco, Brigham (August 27, 2023). "The most powerful Utahn you've never heard of could be America's next vice president". Deseret News. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
18. Hanson, Libbey (January 23, 2024). "Riley Gaines Speaks at the U, Endorses Lyman for Governor". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
19. "Vote Lyman to Lead!". Eagle Forum. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
20. "Contributions and Expenditures For Candidates & Office Holders". State of Utah Financial Disclosures. June 18, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
21. "Contributions and Expenditures For Candidates & Office Holders". State of Utah Financial Disclosures. June 18, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
22. "2024 Primary Election Republican for Governor". Retrieved July 6, 2024.
23. Gehrke, Robert (August 13, 2024). "Utah Supreme Court rejects Phil Lyman's bid to kick Gov. Spencer Cox off the ballot and out of office". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
24. Stern, Emily Anderson (August 12, 2024). "After losing GOP primary, Phil Lyman will run as a write-in candidate for Utah governor". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
25. Sullivan, Kate (July 19, 2024). "Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox pledges Trump his support after saying last week he wouldn't vote for him". CNN. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
26. Sentner, Irie (July 19, 2024). "Utah governor, a longtime Trump skeptic, offers endorsement after assassination attempt". Politico. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
27. Bojórquez, Kim (December 4, 2023). "State Rep. Brian King to run for Utah governor in 2024". Axios. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
28. Hudson, Vanessa (April 29, 2024). "Democrat Brian King picks University of Utah librarian as his gubernatorial running mate". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
29. Bates, Suzanne (April 28, 2024). "Utah Democrats endorse Brian King for governor, Caroline Gleich for Senate at state convention". Deseret News. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
30. "2024 Candidate Filings – Utah Voter Information". vote.utah.gov. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
31. Stern, Emily Anderson (August 13, 2024). "After losing GOP primary, Phil Lyman will run as a write-in candidate for Utah governor". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
32. McKellar, Katie (September 10, 2024). "A Republican, Democrat and Libertarian qualify for Utah's gubernatorial debate • Utah News Dispatch". Utah News Dispatch. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
33. "2024 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
34. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
35. "2024 Gubernatorial race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
36. "2024 Governor Races". www.realclearpolling.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
37. "Election Ratings". Elections Daily. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
38. "Governor Forecasts". CNalysis. Retrieved August 17, 2024.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Spencer Cox (R) for Governor
• Brian King (D) for Governor
• Rob Latham (L) for Governor
• Charlie Tautuaa (WI) for Governor
• Tom Tomeny (I) for Governor
• Tommy Williams (IAP) for Governor
• Phil Lyman (R write-in) for Governor