Utah Gov. Cox Says He Wants a Governor as the Next President

It's been decades since a former governor has gone on to become president of the United States, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday he'd like to see that change, as he wants his fellow Republicans to pick a governor as their nominee in 2024 because governors work to "get stuff done."

“Yeah, I prefer governors. That's the easy call for me," Cox told NBC's "Meet the Press," where he appeared with Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J. He added he'd rather see a governor take the White House "any day of the week" over a member of Congress.

And when show host Chuck Todd asked him about a wide number of GOP governors and former governors who could announce campaigns, including Govs. Chris Sununu, New Hampshire; Ron DeSantis, Florida; and Kristi Noem, South Dakota, as well as former Govs. Asa Hutchinson, of Arkansas, and Nikki Haley, South Carolina, Cox said they are all "fantastic."

Murphy, while saying he'd rather keep "the president," meaning President Joe Biden in office, said he'd suggest that there is one Republican he'd like to see running for the White House: Cox, who responded that he's seeking reelection in Utah instead.

Democrats haven't nominated a governor since Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas. He went on to win the White House in 1992 and was reelected in 1996. Republicans last nominated a governor in 2012, picking former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012. He lost that election but now represents Utah in the U.S. Senate.

GOP former President George W. Bush was the last ex-governor in the White House, serving from 2001-2009. He was governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

Murphy and Cox are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Government Association, and told Todd they are proud of the cooperation they have seen between the nation's governors at last week's national conference, culminating with a meeting with Biden on Friday.

"We passionately disagree and we're best friends," Cox said about Murphy.

Cox agreed that there is a divide in the United States, but he does think there is a choice that can be made, "and that's been the conversation we've been having this week with Republican governors and Democrat governors coming together."

"We're the people who have to get things done, and there are extremes driving a large part of our culture," he added.

Meanwhile, Cox on Sunday defended signing a bill in Utah banning gender-affirming care for minors, saying that concerns are growing about the lack of evidence over whether such care could harm young people.

"It's not just about providing care or not providing care," he said. "It's about whether we might potentially be harming young people, not having enough evidence to see what the long-term results of this are, and providing better psychiatric help for those young people who are going through this."

And when Todd asked if he was "comfortable" with taking the decision out of parents' hands, Cox told him that "we take power away on a lot of things involving our young people."

"If there is potential long-term harm for our kids, we need to find that," he said. Utah took a "pause," to "get better data. We have a mandate to get the best data across the country and then make a decision."

However, he said that he feels that there are people on both sides of the political aisle who do not have the interests of the people involved at heart and said "we should be able to sit down" and have a rational conversation.

• 2024 Race Likely to Heat Up This Summer
• Report: Many in GOP Plotting to Derail Trump's 2024 Run