Gov. Cox praises Utah, urges it to ‘stay weird’ in State of The State Address

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said his goal is to make Utah the best state to live in the United States and said a lack of affordable housing is the state’s biggest problem. He praised the state for a list of accomplishments, discussed some controversy and urged it to “stay weird.”

“We’re different. We’re weird. The good kind of weird,” Cox said.

Cox spoke repeatedly about zero-sum thinking which he said delivers people either — or choices that he said Utah rejects.

“This scarcity mentality also leads to false choices. You either care about the Great Salt Lake or you drive a John Deere tractor. If you want lower taxes, then you must hate public schools. If you have concerns with federal regulation, then you definitely want to start drilling for oil under Delicate Arch,” he said.

He said Utahns “far more than people in any other state, reject zero-sum thinking. Utah still believes in the win-win,” Cox said.

He touted the state’s efforts to conserve water and the money spent to save the Great Salt Lake. He also spoke about the efforts lawmakers made to protect youth from social media and said it was a bipartisan accomplishment and that Utah was saluted nationally, even by President Joe Biden.

Ahead of @GovCox‘s state of the state they are handing out t-shirts that say “stay weird Utah,” the theme of @SpencerJCox‘s speech.

May have snagged one. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/o5ivpUxP3q

— Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) January 19, 2024

Read more about the governor’s state of the state address on KSLTV.com.