Governor says Utah GOP leaders need to 'listen more' following election losses

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Republicans suffered a "historic defeat" across the country in the recent midterm elections, but he didn't expect that would translate into such heavy GOP losses in state legislative races.

During his monthly news conference Monday, Cox acknowledged the shakeup in the Utah Legislature that has erased the Republican's supermajority in the House of Representatives, according to AP projections, and is on track to reduce their numbers in the Senate by one seat.

"We have to be willing to listen to what the voters are telling us," Cox said.

The Republican governor downplayed the notion that Utah GOP legislative losses were only the result of voter sentiment nationally. He said he heard from voters who are concerned about the cost of housing, data center development, transparency and trust in government, and whether the Legislature is listening to voters.

"These are valid concerns," Cox said, "and they deserve real answers."

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Major Republican losses

For the last several decades, Republicans have held a supermajority in the Utah House and Senate. Before last week, they appeared on track to maintain that despite widespread voter backlash against the GOP nationally.

But what many observers have called a "blue tsunami" hit Utah in a significant way. As of Monday afternoon, 14 Republican incumbents in the Utah House and Senate have either lost reelection or are on the verge of losing, while four additional GOP-held seats have flipped or are at risk of flipping to Democrats or other candidates.

As a result, the governor said he believes the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January, will be "different" than past ones.

"I suspect that some bills that I maybe would have vetoed before but knew that they would get overridden probably don't get run in the first place this time around because of the significant changes," Cox said. "But time will tell."

Either way, the governor promised, "We'll be doing a lot more listening, and you'll see me more involved in that."

Some Utah Republican legislative leaders echoed similar sentiments last week when talking about the election results.

"That message indicates that the public has lost some trust. I think we have to be real about that," said Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, who was elected as the new Senate president. "We have to be humble about that and recognize that. We've lost their trust in a certain way."

"Voters here in this state are telling us something as well," added House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. "One of the things we've taken away is we need to do a better job having conversations with citizens of the state."

President Trump's reaction

After last week's midterm elections, President Donald Trump suggested he was willing to work with Democrats, who retook control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in large numbers.

"The president certainly shares blame for what happened in this election," Cox said. "We have a good relationship. We're working on many important issues together and that will continue. But I hope that the same reflection that's happening here with leadership in Utah is happening at the national level, including in his administration."

Yet, just days after the election, Trump picked Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff. Miller's immigration policies were widely seen as a significant liability for the Republican Party in races across the country.

Asked whether Trump has received the message of the midterms given his appointment of Miller, Cox said: "I don't know."

"Regardless, there will – with Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate – there will have to be some changes if the president wants to get things accomplished, and I think he does," Cox said, "and he's signaled that before."

The governor also said it depends on the new Congress "and whether or not they're willing to extend an olive branch and work together."

For years, Cox was a vocal critic of Trump before endorsing him in 2024, a few months before the president won another term.

Overall, Cox didn't mince words when asked about the state of the Republican Party after what happened last week.

"It's not great," he said. "I certainly hope that there's some humility and reflection going on everywhere. Certainly, that is happening."

Still, the governor said he does not believe the election results mean the country is embracing "leftist policies," and that voters are just "desperate for normal."

"People are pretty frustrated right now, so I suspect that in two years we'll win some of these seats back that certainly have a majority Republican in them, but we won't do it unless we're thoughtful," Cox said. "We've got to be more thoughtful about what we're doing and why we're doing it and listen more."

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