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SALT LAKE CITY — After launching a nationwide initiative to promote healthy disagreement in politics, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is scheduled to speak on "bridging political divides" at the Atlantic Festival in Washington next month.
Cox is one of several featured speakers — alongside actor, director and activist Kerry Washington, U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Secretary of State Antony Blinken and filmmaker Spike Lee — who will address a variety of topics across two days on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 28-29.
Other guests will discuss subjects ranging from gun violence to American evangelicalism to the future of artificial intelligence.
Even before launching his "Disagree Better" campaign as the incoming chairman of the National Governor's Association, Cox has cultured a brand built on cross-party respect and engagement — at a time when vitriol and derision are in vogue in Washington.
During the 2020 gubernatorial campaign, he released a campaign ad with his Democratic opponent, Chris Peterson, highlighting the pair's shared values and commitment to respecting the results of the presidential election.
He released a similar video last month with his NGA vice chairman, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, a Democrat.
While his national brand contrasts with the bombastic and aggressive style former President Donald Trump brought to the Republican Party, Cox remains a conservative. The governor has recently signed bills effectively banning abortion clinics from operating in the state, halting transgender-related surgeries for minors and cutting taxes by $400 million.
"I'm not trying to own the libs, I'm trying to convince the libs that there's a better way," he told Time last year.
And even if both sides walk away from a debate with unchanged minds, Cox has stressed the importance of lowering hostility toward opposing political parties, especially as we enter what could be the "most divisive election of our lifetimes" in 2024.
Cox will appear during a two-hour session with several other speakers that can be viewed virtually on Sept. 29.
