Special Poll
Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox has announced that he will not be voting for Donald Trump in the upcoming November election. Instead, he plans to write in a candidate.
Cox shared this decision during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday.
The Background
Trump became the leading Republican presidential candidate in March after key rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, dropped out of the race. Despite this, Trump remains a controversial figure within the Republican Party, particularly due to his actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot and his recent legal troubles.
In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a former adult film actress during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has called the conviction “a disgrace” and plans to appeal. He also faces additional felony charges concerning the mishandling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, both nationally and in Georgia. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.
Governor Cox’s Perspective
Cox explained that the Republican voters have made their choice, but it was not his preference: “They chose a candidate this time around that was not my first choice, wasn’t my choice last time either, but the party’s spoken and that’s who they have chosen. So I’ve said I’m not going to vote for either presidential candidate this year; I’ll write somebody in as I’ve done in the past.”
Cox specifically mentioned his concerns about the January 6 Capitol riot, when Trump supporters stormed Congress to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. He said, “I’ve said before I haven’t voted for the top of the ticket since 2012. I’ve certainly had my concerns, one of those is what happened on January 6.”
In summary, Governor Cox will not be supporting Trump in the upcoming election, choosing instead to write in a candidate, reflecting his ongoing concerns about Trump’s actions and leadership.