- One of the nation's top political columnists called on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to run for president.
- Politico Jonathan Martin said Cox is a unique voice calling for action on social media and AI.
- Cox has repeatedly said — including once last week — he is not considering a White House bid.
Public calls for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to run for president in 2028 reached the inner circle of national politics on Sunday despite Cox’s continued insistence that he will not consider a White House bid.
Jonathan Martin, the politics bureau chief at Politico — and the author of books documenting the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections — devoted his weekly column to changing the Utah governor’s mind.
Cox grew his national profile in September because of his response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. But Cox’s “Disagree Better” message is not what should propel him into the presidential spotlight, according to Martin.
“It’s the other Cox, the one full of righteous indignation about the impact of social media on children and phone addiction on all of us, who believes tech companies should be confronted like the opioid makers of yesteryear,” Martin wrote.
Cox outspoken on social media
Since entering office in 2021, Cox has become one of the most outspoken elected officials in the country condemning social media’s impact on youth, launching lawsuits against Big Tech and requesting regulations to restrict access for minors.
In 2023, Cox signed a number of first-of-their-kind bills that would prohibit minors from using social media at restricted hours, would require minors to obtain parental consent to have social media accounts and would allow parents to see all posts on their children’s accounts.
But the governor’s tone has become even more aggressive since he became the public face of the investigation into Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, who Cox said had been radicalized, at least in part, by social media.
In the days following the tragedy, Cox called social media “a cancer on our society,” and urged Americans to “log off, turn off, touch grass. Hug a family member. Get out and do good in your community.”
While on a trade mission to Australia in October, Cox worked with lawmakers on a framework to ban cellphone use in schools, and to potentially ban social media for anyone under the age of 16.
Cox reiterated this restrictive policy during an event last week at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., alongside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Cox said if someone is to blame for the rise in political violence, it is the social media giants.
“If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the social media companies,” Cox said. “These are the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the history of the world, and they’re profiting off of destroying our kids and destroying our country, and they know it, and it’s very intentional.”
Will Cox run for president?
But Cox also reiterated a claim he made during his most recent televised news conference in November when he said he has “no interest in running for president.” When he and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro were asked on Tuesday whether either of them would run, Cox said “One of us is not,” referring to himself.
In his column, Martin said Cox “should change his mind.” Martin’s reason is that few other major political figures in the U.S. seem to be taking as seriously the harmful impacts of social media, and the transformative changes of artificial intelligence, as Cox.
“That just happens to be the most consequential, if amorphous, issue looming ahead of the next election,” Martin opined. “As concern over algorithms gives way to panic over artificial intelligence, it’s clear every candidate will need an answer on what’s poised to reshape education, the economy, geopolitics, warfare and, oh, most every other facet of American life.”
As chair of the Western Governors’ Association, Cox has used his platform to direct the national conversation toward state policies that will help Americans navigate the coming AI revolution, and has proposed incentives for companies that develop “pro-human AI” systems.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has taken a hands-off approach to AI, recently signing an executive order that would block state-level AI regulations that he says will stifle the development and success of U.S. companies in the fast-emerging industry.
“Cox would be a long shot for the GOP nomination, to put it charitably,” Martin said. “However, he’d force the debate over technology into the main currents of the next election ... As with other cause candidates, the Utahn would find himself bathed in media attention, the longshot-with-a-slingshot David confronting the market-cap Goliaths of our time.”
Cox responded to Martin’s column with a couple of early morning posts on X. The governor shared a pair of memes, one of actor Jonah Hill shaking his head, and another of Trump saying, “Nope, absolutely not.”