Former GOP chair Carson Jorgensen to challenge Utah Gov. Spencer Cox

Former Utah Republican Party Chairman Carson Jorgensen launched a primary campaign to unseat Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday.

Standing in the Capitol rotunda, his 6-foot, 6 inch-figure made even taller by his trademark cowboy hat and boots, Jorgensen told the Deseret News he would brand himself as “a strong common sense conservative who’s not going to weaken on any of his principles.”

Jorgensen, a sixth-generation sheep rancher, ran an unsuccessful bid for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District in 2020 against former Rep. Chris Stewart before winning an underdog election to state party leadership in 2021, at the age of 31.

By filing for candidacy on Thursday with the lieutenant governor’s office, Jorgensen joins state Reps. Phil Lyman, a Republican representing southeastern Utah, and Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, in challenging Utah’s incumbent governor.

“I never wanted to be in politics,” Jorgensen said in an early campaign ad. “I found that most of the problems that we were having were political; that most of the things that we’re struggling with, and that other families are struggling with, not just ours, they are political problems brought on by the government.”

Jorgensen said his biggest criticism of the governor’s office is the rapid growth of the budget continued under Cox.

The budget for fiscal year 2014 was less than $14 billion, he pointed out. A decade later, while the population has increased by less than 20%, the budget has doubled to nearly $29.5 billion for fiscal year 2024, contributing to a small shortfall last year.

“That, to me, should scare people because we are creating programs, taxing to fund said programs, and hoping that the money’s there,” Jorgensen said.

One place where correction is needed, he said, is the expectation that bigger programs are always better. Jorgensen said greater expenditures in taxpayer dollars require clear returns on investment.

In a statement given to the Deseret News, a spokesperson for Cox’s reelection campaign defended the governor’s fiscal track record while recognizing the importance of comparing competing policy visions.

“America is amazing because it allows for everyone to bring their ideas to the table,” the statement said. “The governor is proud to stand on his record which includes the largest tax cut in state history, an unequivocal commitment to defending Utah’s right-to-life laws, and empowering parents and families in the fight with social media.”

Another point of emphasis for Jorgensen are the state’s high schools, which he says are doing a poor job of preparing young people for the practical realities of family finance and the labor market. High schools should provide more vocational training for blue collar work, he said.

According to his website, Jorgensen’s campaign will center around limiting the influence of “big business” on government policy, making the state more self-reliant in agriculture and energy, planning for future population growth and focusing on smart water use and local management of public lands.

Jorgensen said his background as a lifelong resident of Mt. Pleasant, a central Utah town of less than 4,000, as well as his lack of legislative experience, is a feature, not a bug of his campaign.

“I’m always going to fall back on my roots that come from that rural, down home, it’s just common sense,” he said.

He pointed to his time as party chair from 2021 to 2023 as evidence that he was familiar with the inner workings of state politics.

As state GOP chair, Jorgensen eliminated the party’s remaining debt through small dollar donations, distanced the party from the Utah Debate Commission with self-sponsored debates and criticized Cox on national media for vetoing a bill banning transgender girls from participating in female school sports.

While Jorgensen said he shares Cox’s commitment to disagreeing better, he believes that aspiration can be accomplished without ceding ground on fundamental policy stances.

“Too often we conflate disagreement with being mean, and that’s not how it is,” Jorgensen said. “We have to be able to stand up for what we believe and have these arguments, although they may be heated.”

Candidates for governor, or other state and federal offices, must make their intentions to run official by submitting paperwork at the Utah Capitol before the deadline on Jan. 8.

Cox has welcomed competition for the seat, saying “It should be a competition of ideas.”

“As much as I’d love to run unopposed, that’s not healthy for democracy,” Cox told the Deseret News in December. “And so I think having people in the race to hold me accountable is really important as well.”

Here’s a list of who else has filed for statewide and congressional seats.

Governor

• Spencer J. Cox, Republican incumbent.

• Phil Lyman, Republican.

• T. Carson Jorgensen, Republican.

• Brian Smith King, Democratic.

• Tom Tomeny, unaffiliated.

Attorney general

• Derek Brown, Republican.

• Rachel Terry, Republican.

• Frank Demcy Mylar, Republican.

• W. Andrew McCullough, Libertarian.

State auditor

• Ricky Hatch, Republican.

• Catherine Voutaz, Democratic.

State treasurer

• Marlo M. Oaks, Republican incumbent.

U.S. Senate

• John Curtis, Republican.

• Brad Reed Wilson, Republican.

• Trent Staggs, Republican.

• Brent Orrin Hatch, Republican.

• Clark S. White, Republican.

• Chandler H. Tanner, Republican.

• Caroline Phippen, Republican.

• Archie A. Williams III, Democratic.

• Robert Newcomb, Independent American.

• Carlton E. Bowen, Independent American.

U.S. House District 1

• Blake D. Moore, Republican incumbent.

• Paul Stuart Miller, Republican.

• Derek L. Draper, Republican.

• Bill Campbell, Democratic.

U.S. House District 2

• Celeste Maloy, Republican incumbent.

• Ty Jensen, Republican.

• Brian Adams, Democratic.

• Cassie Easley, Constitution.

U.S. House District 3

• JR Bird (Rod Bird Jr.), Republican.

• Stewart Peay, Republican.

• Case Lawrence, Republican.

• Mike Kennedy, Republican.

• Chris Herrod, Republican.

• Glenn J. Wright, Democratic.

U.S. House District 4

• Burgess Owens, Republican incumbent.

• Jonathan Lopez, Democratic.

• Katrina Fallick-Wang, Democratic.