Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT), the Utah governor who rose to national prominence with his calls for civility in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, used a stage in Philadelphia to argue that his message is just as salient one year later.
asserted
message → rise → Philadelphia
Cox sat down with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) on Wednesday night for a forum centered on the First Amendment and how America’s tradition of free expression is at risk due to a rising tide of political violence.
asserted
tradition → sit → violence
“This experiment that we embarked on 250 years ago, right here — I mean, a stone’s throw from where we are tonight — that experiment cannot survive if we have contempt, if we despise half of the country, if we refuse to engage and debate,” Cox said at the Knight Foundation forum, moderated by Lulu Garcia-Navarro of the New York Times.
asserted
Cox → embark → Times
“That’s what concerns me and should concern all of us,” he added, speaking to a mostly older audience at the Kimmel Center.
asserted
he → ’ → Center
It’s a warning that Cox has been making often lately.
asserted
Cox → ’ → that
He’s been promoting a book, Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt, that he says he was inspired to finish in the aftermath of the Kirk shooting, which took place on Sept. 10 — almost a year ago to the day — in his home state.
asserted
which → promote → state
The forums with governors of the opposite party date back even further — to when Cox, a Mormon Republican, chaired the National Governors Association and began a Disagree Better initiative.
asserted
Cox → date → initiative
The assassination of Kirk, a conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, came up repeatedly as Cox discussed a return to civil discourse.
asserted
Cox → come → discourse
He called it a “heavy moment” and credited the advice he got from Shapiro in its aftermath to “ditch my talking points and to speak from the heart.”
asserted
he → call → heart
At the time of the shooting, Cox received bipartisan praise for his remarks urging the nation to “touch grass” and get off social media, which he blames for the growing polarization.
asserted
he → receive → polarization
Garcia-Navarro, the moderator, also brought up the 2025 firebombing of Shapiro’s home on the first night of Passover, as well as the Capitol Police finding that threats against lawmakers rose almost 58% in 2025.
asserted
threats → bring → 2025
Despite those data points, Cox said he was “more hopeful than I’ve been in a long time” that the public discourse was turning away from vitriol — and claimed that the environment was primed for a leader to capitalize on voters he said were desperate for civility.
asserted
he → say → civility
Cox has flatly denied that he would run for president in 2028, the final year of his second term as Utah governor.
asserted
he → deny → governor
To emphasize the point, he ruled out a presidential run in the first sentence of his book.
asserted
he → emphasize → book
Cox did, however, joke that “there may be somebody in this room” who takes that approach.
uncertain
who → joke → approach
Shapiro, a pragmatic Democrat who is up for reelection in November, is widely considered a possible contender for president.
asserted
who → consider → president
“Somebody’s going to run and make this an issue, and I think the first party that figures this out is going to win big,” Cox said.
asserted
Cox → go → this
“I hope it’s my party.
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it → hope → ?
I really do.
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I → do → ?
But if not, then, you know — we’ll see what happens.”
asserted
what → know → ?
There were subtle allusions to President Donald Trump and his bombastic rhetoric, with Shapiro at one point telling Cox that he is in a “unique position within the Republican Party to help heal it and to help bring our country together.”
asserted
he → be → country
Shortly after the Kirk shooting, Trump eulogized Kirk, known for his debates on college campuses, as someone who “did not hate his opponents.”
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who → eulogize → opponents
“He wanted the best for them,” Trump said at Kirk’s memorial service.
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Trump → want → service
“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie.
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I → ’ → Charlie
I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.”
asserted
I → hate → them
The forum took place one week after a judge ruled that the trial of Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, can proceed.
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trial → take → assassin
The 23-year-old is accused of killing Kirk at an event at Utah Valley University and has been charged with aggravated murder.
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old → accuse → murder
It also occurred as Republicans were hosting a midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, where an empty seat was reserved onstage to honor Kirk.
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seat → occur → Kirk
Shapiro, asked about the acts of violence that have taken place in his own state, including the attempted assassination of Trump in 2024, blamed political leaders for rhetoric he said was flirting with inciting violence.
asserted
he → ask → violence
He also denounced the “angriest voices, which make up the dark corners of the internet and some dark corners of our society,” as he warned of rising antisemitism.
asserted
he → denounce → antisemitism
His remark comes as Democrats grapple with the political influence of Hasan Piker, a progressive Twitch streamer who recently suggested that American Jews were at fault for the violence perpetrated against them.
uncertain
Jews → come → them
In lighter moments, the two governors joked about Philadelphia cheesesteaks — Cox declined to pick a favorite — and home state rivalries in professional basketball.
asserted
Cox → joke → basketball
On other occasions, Cox has sat for forums with Democratic governors like Wes Moore of Maryland and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
asserted
Cox → sit → Mexico
The Aporia
