WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) announced Utah Gov. Spencer Cox as his guest for President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 7. Gov. Cox is a sixth-generation Utahn hailing from Fairview, Utah. He was elected to his hometown's City Council in 2004 and elected Mayor the following year. In 2008, he served as a Sanpete County commissioner before being elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2012. In 2013, Governor Gary Herbert selected Cox to replace Greg Bell as Lieutenant Governor. He was sworn in as Utah's 18th Governor on January 4, 2021.  

Sen. Lee and Gov. Cox have a long history of working together on a wide range of issues, including fighting against the unilateral expansion of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, addressing affordable housing within the state, and protecting the University of Utah's Research Park, a center for research and development serving both the University and the local workforce. Sen. Lee extended the invitation to Gov. Cox, noting Utah's upcoming challenges and the need for a robust federal-state partnership.

“The state of the union and the state of Utah are inextricably linked. In the months and years ahead, Utah will face a host of challenges requiring a strong relationship between our state and federal governments,” said Sen. Lee. “I'm honored to be joined by Gov. Cox for this year's State of the Union address. Gov. Cox is a lifelong Utahn whose grasp of the issues and connection to the state place him in a unique position to help navigate Utah through the challenges ahead.”

“Coming together for the State of the Union is a long-standing American tradition and I’m honored to join Sen. Lee as his guest in representing Utah,” said Gov. Cox. “We appreciate Sen. Lee’s leadership in Washington and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively for the people of our great state.”