How Utah GOP gubernatorial candidates differ on key issues

Gov. Spencer Cox and state Rep. Phil Lyman faced off on Tuesday in the only gubernatorial debate before the June 25 GOP primary.

The big picture: The incumbent is considered the frontrunner of the race , despite Lyman defeating Cox at April's nominating convention .

• Cox, a more moderate Republican who was booed at the convention, took the signature-gathering route to get on the ballot. Lyman relied on delegate support.
• The governor has been subjected to intense criticism from the right wing of his party during his first term.

Context: The debate comes on the heels of an independent investigation that accused Lyman of acting unprofessionally and inappropriately toward female state workers from the Utah Trust Lands Administration during a January meeting, the Utah News Dispatch reported last week.

Noteworthy: Neither candidate was asked about their support for former President Trump during the debate.

• Lyman, a pro-Trump candidate, was pardoned by the former president in 2020 for leading an illegal ATV protest on federal land.
• Cox has said he's never voted for Trump, opting to write-in other candidates in 2016 and 2020 instead.

Here are the key issues that the candidates addressed during the cordial debate:

Housing affordability

Cox called housing affordability the "single most important issue" in the state.

• He said the state is working with developers to complete his goal of building 35,000 starter homes under $300,000 by 2028 to alleviate the housing crisis.

Lyman , who has represented the Blanding area in the state legislature since 2019, said it's a "myth" that the government will alleviate Utah's housing costs.

• "The truth is free market principles are going to fix this problem," he said.

Immigration

The pathway to entering the country legally may be a difficult hurdle for immigrants, Lyman said, but it shouldn't justify "illegal aliens" in the U.S.

• "We've got to take a more aggressive stance. We've got to be able to deport those people," he said. "Our policies should be able to distinguish between a mother who is a refuge and a predator who is here with fentanyl dealers."

Cox called balancing the need for an immigrant work force and having secure borders a false choice and called every U.S. state a "border state."

• "So many bad actors are coming across that border and we have to hold [the Biden] administration accountable," he said.

Taxpayer dollars for sports stadiums

Cox , who signed a bill in March that allows Salt Lake City to help fund a new NHL stadium by raising city sales tax by .5%, said the legislation protects taxpayers and would spur economic development in the state.

• "What we've done is just give authority to Salt Lake City to decide if this is what they want in their city," he said.

Lyman rejected that taxpayers should foot the bill for a sports stadium.

• "That creates an ongoing liability for the taxpayers," he said, adding that the state legislature should stay out of the city's affairs.

What's next: The GOP primary winner will face Democratic state Rep. Brian King in November.

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