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The Fox News Decision Desk projects incumbent Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to win re-election, defeating Democratic rival Utah state Rep. Brian King.
Cox won his first bid for governor in 2020 by more than 32 percentage points in the reliably red state.
King, meanwhile, has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2009, representing a district in the Salt Lake City area of the state.
SPENCER COX WINS UTAH REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox welcomes President Biden before speaking at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Aug. 10, 2023 in Salt Lake City. (George Frey/Getty Images)
Utah is considered one of the reddest states in the country at both the state and national level, with the Republican Party controlling all statewide executive offices while enjoying a supermajority in both the state House and the state Senate.
The state has not elected a Democratic governor since 1976, when the late former Gov. Scott Matheson won and went on to serve two terms in office.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox responds to questions during the 2034 SLC Press Conference ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 24, 2024 in Paris. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Utah has had a similar outlook in presidential elections, with a Democrat last carrying the state when Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1964. In the two most recent presidential elections, former President Donald Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 18 percentage points in 2016 and President Biden by just over 20 percentage points in 2020.
The Utah race is one of 11 governor’s races on the ballot in states in 2024, joining Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, Vermont and New Hampshire.
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Utah Democratic State Rep. Brian King. (Utah House of Representatives)
Republicans are defending more seats than Democrats in the governor’s races, with Utah being one of eight Republican-held states at risk on election day. Democrats, meanwhile, are only defending three seats; Washington, North Carolina and Delaware.
