Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah gained final week’s Republican main for governor, in line with outcomes launched on Monday.He defeated Jon Huntsman Jr
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah gained final week’s Republican main for governor, in line with outcomes launched on Monday.
He defeated Jon Huntsman Jr., who served as governor from 2005 to 2009 earlier than stepping right down to develop into President Barack Obama’s ambassador to China. The Related Press referred to as the race on Monday night, and Mr. Cox mentioned on Twitter that Mr. Huntsman had referred to as him to concede.
Mr. Cox is predicted to win the governorship in November over the Democratic nominee, Chris Peterson. Utah has not elected a Democrat as governor in additional than 35 years.
The first was a convoluted political story: Mr. Cox is the present lieutenant governor underneath Gov. Gary Herbert, who obtained the job as a result of he had himself been lieutenant governor underneath Mr. Huntsman. Mr. Herbert selected this yr to endorse Mr. Cox somewhat than Mr. Huntsman.
Mr. Huntsman’s marketing campaign was interrupted final month when he examined constructive for the coronavirus. He has since recovered.
To some extent, Mr. Huntsman’s loss was stunning given his political historical past: He was some of the widespread governors within the nation when he left workplace. However he’s additionally a average Republican who served as ambassador to China underneath Mr. Obama along with his posts in Republican administrations, and moderation and bipartisanship haven’t tended to play effectively in Republican primaries within the age of President Trump.
He additionally served as ambassador to Russia underneath Mr. Trump earlier than resigning in August.
Mr. Huntsman ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 and positioned third within the New Hampshire main, however ended his marketing campaign earlier than the South Carolina main and endorsed Mitt Romney. Mr. Romney misplaced within the basic election however made his personal political comeback in Utah, which elected him to the Senate in 2018.