Utah GOP governor says he hopes party can ‘turn the page’ and ‘try something else’ in 2024

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) on Sunday said he hopes the GOP can “turn the page” and “try something else” in 2024, lauding the several current and former governors running in the Republican primary.

“There are at least six current or former governors, Republican governors, running for president right now. Can any of them defeat Donald Trump in a primary?” host Margaret Brennan asked Cox on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” 

“I hope so. I like governors. I think governors are great and have real experience. The great thing about governors is we have to get stuff done, right? We can’t just do the performance thing. … Potholes aren’t partisan. You have to do those kind of things,” Cox said.  

“And I think we have lots of amazing choices, and I’m really hopeful that we can turn the page and try something else. Someone who can win, which I think is important, and I think any of those governors could win and I certainly hope we’ll give them a chance,” he added.

Former President Trump is leading GOP primary polling for 2024, joined in the race by a number of other high-profile Republicans, including his former Vice President Mike Pence, who is a former governor of Indiana.

Also in the race is current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s polling at the head of the pack behind Trump, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, are also running.