King and Lyman team up for ‘Disagree Better’-style ad criticizing Gov. Cox

Democratic candidate for governor Brian King and former Republican primary candidate Phil Lyman — who has launched a write-in campaign — teamed up for a “Disagree Better”-style attack ad against Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

The ad is modeled after a viral video filmed in 2020 by then-gubernatorial candidate Spencer Cox and his Democratic opponent, Chris Peterson, as well as later ads filmed with Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the country as part of Cox’s “Disagree Better” campaign, which aims to turn down the temperature in political rhetoric.

“Now, Phil and I disagree better about most issues,” King says at the beginning of the 30-second ad, winking at the camera. A graphic then appears showing King’s and Lyman’s opposing stances on public lands, education curriculum, reproductive rights, election processes and the role of government.

But, they say in unison, “the biggest thing the two of us agree on is that Spencer Cox should not be our next governor.”

Following his loss to Cox in the Republican primary in June, Lyman has since launched a write-in campaign , a move that drew criticism from some Republican party leaders.

At the conclusion of the ad, Lyman and King ask for voters’ support before they both mouth King’s campaign slogan, “for the better,” as King’s logo appears on screen. The ad says it was paid for by “Brian for Utah.”

In response to the Lyman-King ad, the Cox campaign highlighted King’s liberal record and framed Lyman’s write-in campaign as sour grapes after losing in the GOP primary by more than 37,500 votes.

“The choice voters have this fall is clear: Utah values or liberal, California-style policy positions,” Cox’s campaign spokesperson, Matt Lusty, said. “Losing is hard, but encouraging others to elect someone who believes in a Gavin Newsom style of government is the wrong solution for Utah.”

Utah Republican Party Chair Rob Axson issued a strongly-worded statement on Thursday reaffirming the party’s support for their nominees and calling Lyman’s decision to film an anti-Cox ad with King “an endorsement” of the Democratic candidate.

“We condemn Phil Lyman’s endorsement and promotion of Brian King, which will only benefit Democrat candidates whose extreme policies are out of step with Utahns,” the statement posted on X said. “Not-so-clever clickbait videos attempting to divide Republicans against each other only serve to remind us what is at stake; Utahns must not fall for it.”

Axson said Lyman’s campaign is not representative of most Utah Republicans and invited Lyman to “change course(.)” The campaigns of King and Lyman have said the ad does not represent an endorsement.

Why did Lyman and King film a ‘Disagree Better’-style ad?

When Cox first ran for governor in 2020, after serving as lieutenant governor for seven years, he made headlines for a video he made with Democratic nominee Chris Peterson. In the clip, the two candidates, standing against a white backdrop, with red or blue ties corresponding to their respective parties, express their shared commitment to democratic values and mutual respect.

The success of this unorthodox campaign ad inspired Cox’s national “Disagree Better” initiative as chairman of the National Governors Association. The campaign featured more than a dozen bipartisan ads, depolarization trainings, conferences with high profile speakers and academic studies on the effects of politicians modeling healthy dialogue.

While King and Lyman expressed interest in filming a “Disagree Better” ad with Cox in March, the two candidates have since centered their candidacies around criticizing Cox’s approach to politics.

“Disagree Better” appears disingenuous, King argues, when you have a GOP supermajority in the state. King has appropriated an amended version of Cox’s slogan, saying elected officials need to go beyond civil rhetoric and disagree “for the better” to incorporate the views of a diverse swath of Utahns.

As Utah House minority leader, King proposed gun control legislation and led opposition to Utah’s 2020 abortion prohibition . During the 2024 legislative session, he was also an outspoken critic of Cox’s decisions to back Republican bills banning some diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and increasing penalties for individuals who use public bathrooms that don’t match their biological sex.

Lyman has attacked Cox from the right for being too soft on these issues, campaigning on decreasing the size of Utah government, stopping the flow of immigrants into the state and taking a hard line on culture war issues. Lyman’s messaging has been heavily focused on “Disagree Better,” with the candidate referencing the initiative over 80 times on his X account so far this year.

But despite being ideological opposites, Lyman and King say they share a twin desire to see Cox out of office.

Lyman and King join forces. Will it hurt Cox?

Lyman’s post-primary messaging has featured numerous suggestions that a vote for King would be better than a vote for Cox in the general election. King’s campaign has cheered on Lyman’s decision to run a write-in campaign, seeing it as a way to take advantage of a divided GOP.

“Any Utahn who agrees that our state needs different leadership is welcome in our campaign, and I plan to continue talking to voters of all political backgrounds across the state between now and November,” King said on Thursday.

In a post following the release of the ad, Lyman said, “The ad should confirm my seriousness. I am running as a write in candidate because I believe Utahns deserve a conservative choice, instead of two Democrats.”

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who enjoys consistently high approval ratings among Utah conservatives, said on Wednesday he would be voting for Cox in November and expressed concern that Lyman’s write-in campaign would prove harmful to Utah and the Republican Party

“Primary elections are where Republicans vigorously debate policy differences. The Primary is over. We cannot risk Utah turning into California. We must defeat the Democrats by uniting behind our fellow Republicans,” Lee said in the statement on X.

Marty Carpenter, a GOP consultant who managed former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.’s 2020 gubernatorial campaign, told the Deseret News that write-in campaigns are rarely competitive and predicted that Lyman’s effort “won’t be enough to really make a significant impact” on the general election one way or the other.

Lyman’s 195,000 votes from the primary likely form a ceiling of support, Carpenter said, explaining there is “an ardent group” that “dislike the governor enough” to write Lyman’s name on their ballot.

But compared to the 919,000 votes received by Cox and Henderson in the 2020 general election, and the 443,000 received by their Democratic opponent, Lyman’s vote total appears more likely to secure him a third-place finish in 2024, according to Carpenter.