Political Hate Utah's Governor Opposes Lands on His Doorstep

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who has urged Americans to "disagree better" on politics without resorting to hate or violence, returned to his plea in the moments after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a university in his state. "Our nation is broken," Cox said before TV cameras on Wednesday. He listed other acts of political violence, including the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota and the attempted assassination of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, also a Democrat, the New York Times reports. Speaking to anyone who "celebrated even a little bit at the news of this shooting," Cox said, "I would beg you to look in the mirror, and to see if you can find a better angel in there somewhere."

It's not clear whether anyone was listening, the Times points out. President Trump later in the day blamed "the radical left" for Kirk's killing and left Democratic victims out of his recitation of political violence, per NBC News. A fellow Republican who ran against Cox called the Minnesota killings a "false parallel." MSNBC fired analyst Matthew Dowd after he seemed to blame Kirk's death on his political rhetoric. On Capitol Hill, House Democrats and Republicans shouted each other down after a moment of silence for Kirk. On Fox News, host Jesse Watters said, "we are going to avenge Charlie's death in the way that Charlie wanted to be avenged."

Cox has worked with Democrats on his Disagree Better initiative, per Politico, on issues including teenagers' social media use and housing. He broadcast his message from a national platform as chair of the National Governors Association, a term that ended last year. He worked with nonprofits as well as Democratic leaders. But the view from Utah, where the Highway Patrol rushed to the homes of prominent people near the assassination site on Wednesday, may be different now. "I think the jarring part was it happened in our own backyard," former GOP Gov. Gary Herbert said. "I think we expect more from ourselves than what we saw today."