Josh Shapiro and Spencer Cox Make the Case for Less Divisive Political Rhetoric

Two high-profile governors, Democrat Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Republican Spencer Cox of Utah, traveled to Washington, D.C., to make the case on Tuesday that political leaders need to dial back their rhetoric, including President Donald Trump.

It’s a unique way to build a national message at a moment when partisan political fissures run deep, even if both men — seen as potential candidates for higher office — have previously made this case.

The governors recounted how they bonded after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah earlier this year, describing it as a pivotal moment in their relationship.

“When that very dark day happened in my state, the first call I got was from this governor,” Cox said of Shapiro at the National Cathedral, where an audience gathered in the drafty congregation space. “He gave me some advice that changed what I was going to say when I stepped in front of the camera for the first time, and he told me to speak with moral clarity and to speak from the heart.”

Shapiro praised Cox’s rhetoric in the wake of the assassination.

“I never looked to myself to be any sort of expert on violence, or frankly, needing to engage in a national conversation about political violence until I saw Spencer Cox, in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk, handle that matter the way that he did,” Shapiro said.

It made for an increasingly rare scene of bipartisan unity, and even friendship, especially given the dark cloud of political violence hanging over the country and their lives.

Are either of these officials planning to take that civility message into a presidential campaign?

They both laughed.

“One of us is not,” Cox said.

When the moderator asked about a “unity ticket,” Shapiro reached out his hand to Cox for a handshake, amid cheers from the audience.

Both spoke about how political violence, like the shootings of the Minnesota lawmakers in June that resulted in the death of a former Minnesota House speaker and her husband, have changed the roles they are now in.

“It’s harder for us to come on stage like this. Even though we do have amazing security and we appreciate that it’s there, it’s always in the back of your mind, right?” Cox said.

Shapiro — a centrist Democrat who was considered as a potential running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris last year — described the emotional aftermath of the arson attack that targeted his family’s home in April. Cox said he received a threat as recently as a few days ago.

Each governor had criticism for their own party.

Shapiro denounced people from the “political left” who celebrated or justified acts of political violence, including the killing of a health insurance CEO a year ago, though those sentiments were confined to extreme corners of the internet rather than the political mainstream. He reserved some of his sharpest criticism for Trump.

“I’m going to say it, and I realize that it may not be popular with some in this room,” Shapiro said. “When you’re a governor, when you’re a president of the United States, you are looked to for that moral clarity, and we have a president of the United States right now that fails that test on a daily basis.”

Cox said Trump employs “divisive rhetoric,” but added that Trump called him in September to thank him for his leadership after Kirk was shot.

“I’m not trying to play down his divisive rhetoric at all. I’m not going to do that at all,” Cox said. “But I’m going to say this. If we think that a president of the United States or a governor is going to change where we are right now, we’re fooling ourselves.”

Cox also had broader criticism: “I’m just here to tell you that neither party is interested in addressing that marked failure right now,” he said of the distrust Americans have in politics.

Shapiro made it clear that a leader’s response to political violence and willingness to turn down the political temperature with their own rhetoric is the first essential step to moving on from a divisive, violent era.

“We need to begin by saying that all leaders must condemn all political violence,” Shapiro said, to applause. “We need bold leaders to stand up and recognize violence is not OK to change policy. What is imperative is that we engage in more democracy building. That we vote, that we engage with lawmakers and force them into positions where they actually solve our problems.”

As the governors spoke, they were periodically interrupted by protesters who were escorted out of the building. (It was unclear what specifically they were protesting.)

Cox acknowledged the interruption by arguing that the tone of debate among elected officials is often a “reflection” of the people.

“This idea that we feel it’s OK to scream and interrupt and howl — we’ve given a pass to this type of boorish behavior for far too long, and this is what we get,” Cox said. “If we want to change what’s happening in Washington, D.C., we, the people, have to decide that this is not who we are.”

—
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and The Salt Lake Tribune.