Utah politics usually feels like a foregone conclusion. You’ve got a deep-red state, a popular incumbent, and a Democratic party that—honestly—struggles to find a foothold outside of Salt Lake City. But the 2024 race for the Governor's mansion was anything but a snooze fest. While the national media was hyper-focused on the presidential circus, the utah governor candidates 2024 were locked in a weird, three-way ideological tug-of-war that actually ended up being the closest race the state has seen in decades.
Spencer Cox won. That’s the headline. But how he won—and who almost tripped him up—tells you a lot more about where Utah is headed than the final percentage.
The Incumbent’s Tightrope Walk: Spencer Cox
Spencer Cox is a bit of an anomaly in the modern GOP. He’s the guy who tweets about neighborliness and launched a "Disagree Better" campaign. He’s basically the face of moderate, institutional Republicanism. However, that didn't sit well with the more "MAGA" wing of his own party.
For most of the 2024 cycle, Cox was fighting a war on two fronts. On one side, he had to prove he was "conservative enough" for the base. On the other, he had to keep the moderate suburbanites from drifting toward a Democrat. Things got really awkward at the state Republican convention in April. Cox was booed—loudly—by his own delegates. Imagine being the sitting governor and getting jeered off stage. He lost the convention vote to Phil Lyman by a staggering margin, pulling only about 32.5% of delegate support compared to Lyman's 67.5%.
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In Utah, if you lose the convention but have the signatures, you can still make the primary. Cox did exactly that. He spent a lot of money—over $3.7 million by October—to remind voters that he was the guy who kept the economy humming. He eventually secured the nomination in June, but the "moderate" tag haunted him. To bridge the gap, he did something many didn't expect: he endorsed Donald Trump. It was a calculated move that some say saved his base support but definitely made his moderate fans do a double-take.
The Spoiler in the Room: Phil Lyman
If you want to understand why this race felt so fractured, you have to look at Phil Lyman. A state representative from Blanding, Lyman isn't just "conservative." He’s a firebrand. He rose to local fame after leading an illegal ATV protest on federal land back in 2014, which actually landed him in jail before a later pardon.
Lyman didn't just fade away after losing the primary to Cox. He claimed the primary results were fishy and refused to concede. Instead, he launched a write-in campaign for the general election.
It wasn't just a vanity project.
Honestly, Lyman’s presence changed the entire math of the election. By running as a write-in with Natalie Clawson, he tapped into a deep vein of frustration among rural voters and the "Stop the Steal" crowd. He ended up pulling 13.57% of the total vote—over 200,000 people wrote his name on a ballot. That is a massive number for a write-in candidate in a general election. He basically cannibalized the Republican vote, which is why Cox’s final winning percentage (52.89%) was the lowest for a Utah Republican governor since 1992.
The Democratic Alternative: Brian King
Then there was Brian King. A trial lawyer and former House Minority Leader, King tried to capitalize on the chaos. His campaign slogan, "Better Way," was a direct shot at what he called the "extreme" elements of the Republican party.
King’s strategy was simple: peel off the moderate Republicans who were tired of Cox’s flip-flopping and terrified of Lyman’s rhetoric. He leaned hard into issues like reproductive rights and environmental protection for the Great Salt Lake. While he didn't win, he maintained a solid 28.46% of the vote. In a state like Utah, that’s actually a respectable showing, though it was slightly lower than previous Democratic attempts. He found his strongest support in Salt Lake and Grand Counties, but the "Red Wall" in the rest of the state was just too high to climb.
How the Candidates Stacked Up
When you look at the final certified results from November 2024, the divide is clear.
- Spencer Cox (R): 781,431 votes (52.89%)
- Brian King (D): 420,514 votes (28.46%)
- Phil Lyman (Write-in): 200,551 votes (13.57%)
- Robert Latham (Libertarian): 41,164 votes (2.79%)
Latham and the other third-party candidates, like Tommy Williams of the Independent American Party, mostly stayed in the low single digits. But that 13% for Lyman? That's the story. It shows a Republican party that is fundamentally at odds with itself. Cox won, but he’s walking into his second term with a mandate that feels a little shaky.
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Why This Matters for the Future
The 2024 race proved that the "signature path" to the ballot is the only reason moderate Republicans can still win in Utah. If the state relied solely on the convention system, Phil Lyman would be the governor right now. That realization is currently causing a massive internal fight within the Utah GOP.
There's also the "Trump Factor." Cox’s late-game endorsement of the former president showed that even the most "principled" moderates feel the need to bow to the national party's direction to survive. Whether that helps or hurts him in a post-2024 landscape is the big question.
Practical Steps for Utah Voters
The election might be over, but the fallout is just beginning. If you want to keep tabs on how these utah governor candidates 2024 are influencing current policy, here is what you should do:
- Watch the 2025 Legislative Session: Keep an eye on the bills Phil Lyman (who remains a power player in his circles) and Brian King’s colleagues are pushing. The tension from the campaign will definitely spill over into floor debates.
- Monitor the "Signature Path" Debate: There is a high probability of new legislation attempting to get rid of the ability to collect signatures to get on the ballot. If this passes, the convention delegates (who hated Cox) will have total control over who you get to vote for.
- Check Financial Disclosures: You can see who funded these campaigns on the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s website. It’s a great way to see which industries are betting on which version of the GOP.
The 2024 election wasn't just about picking a leader; it was a map of Utah’s growing pains. We’re seeing a state that is no longer a monolith. It’s messy, it’s divided, and honestly, it’s probably going to stay that way for a while.