A Republican governor who has never been a supporter of former President Donald Trump has now offered a resounding endorsement following the unsuccessful assassination attempt last Saturday.
Just this past month, Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox, mentioned to CNN that he had no intention of supporting either Trump or President Joe Biden in the upcoming election. However, his stance has since undergone a significant shift. According to Politico, Cox unequivocally declared his support for Trump’s candidacy when he addressed reporters on Friday, following the latter’s acceptance of the GOP nomination for president for a third consecutive election.
“I am doing everything I can to help and support him,” the governor – who called on Trump to resign on Jan. 6, 2021 – said. “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.”
? BREAKING: Utah Governor Spencer Cox endorses Donald Trump after vowing *NOT* to vote for him just last week. pic.twitter.com/R9KQnXnRi4
— Proud Elephant ??? (@ProudElephantUS) July 19, 2024
The day after the shooting, Cox privately put his support behind Trump in a letter, writing that he believed Trump’s life was spared due to a “miracle,” adding: “I humbly submit that you — and I sincerely mean this — only you — can” unify the country.
“Mr. President, I know we have some differences and you probably don’t like me much. And that’s OK. I get it. I am not writing this letter looking for a position in your Cabinet or a role on your team,” Cox wrote in the letter, obtained by POLITICO and first reported by the Deseret News. “But I have loved so many of your policies … [and] I have told everyone that you are going to win the state of Utah and you are going to win the presidency again.”
Meanwhile, Trump is leading President Joe Biden in the 25 counties that have accurately predicted the outcomes of the last four elections, as revealed in a new poll exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire. According to the poll conducted by the polling firm Cygnal, Trump leads Biden by 2 points in a head-to-head comparison across the 25 “bellwether” counties. However, in polls that include third-party candidates, Trump enjoyed a 3-point lead over Biden.
“Since 2008, only 25 counties out of 3,142 across the United States have voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Republican Donald Trump in 2016, and flipped back to Democrat, voting for Joe Biden in 2020,” a poll analysis provided by Cygnal explains. “We’re talking about a really, really small group of people that are really, really influential because they got it right for all those elections,” President and Founder of Cygnal Brent Buchanan told the outlet.
The poll was conducted following the June 27th presidential debate, and now comes just days after Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt and secured the Republican nomination. Most likely voters in the critical bellwether counties tuned into the debate between the two presidential candidates, overwhelmingly concluding that Trump emerged victorious.
“The fallout for Biden from the June 27th debate cannot be understated. 8-in-10 likely voters in the nation’s Bellwether Counties say they watched the debate, and of those, 63% say Trump won the debate, 17% Biden,” the poll states, adding that another 20 percent of respondents say that they are undecided on who won.
Voters in the bellwether counties prioritize the economy, followed by illegal immigration and threats to democracy. Independents in these areas place a higher emphasis on the latter two issues, showcasing a notable divergence from national sentiment. Meanwhile, among the undecided independents, the economy and illegal immigration stand out as the most critical topics, indicative of potential support for Trump.
