Utah governor doubts Kinzinger, Cheney ‘changing hearts and minds’

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said that he thinks former Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), two Republicans who are often critical of former President Trump, aren’t “changing hearts and minds.”

“I don’t know that they’re changing anybody’s minds,” Cox said on a Friday episode of Politico’s “Playbook Deep Dive” podcast. “I don’t think they’re changing hearts and minds at all.”

The Utah Republican said he thinks Kinzinger and Cheney have “lumped everybody who supports Trump into being just like Trump,” rather than attempting “to understand them.”

Kinzinger and Cheney were two of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president following the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. They also were members of the House Jan. 6 committee.

Cox said on the Politico podcast that he does not “consider” himself “a MAGA Republican,” but also said he wants Trump “to succeed.”

“I always try to point out that I’m not anti-Trump,” Cox said. “I have serious issues with some of the things he’s done, I love some of the other things he’s done.”

Kinzinger has endorsed President Biden in his reelection bid, but said that Democrats need to find “the best candidate to defend democracy” following a shaky performance from the president in Thursday’s presidential debate.

“I’m not gonna go there, because that’s gonna be a messy process,” Kinzinger said when asked by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer if he believes “it would be a good idea” for Biden to step away from the top of the Democratic ticket.

“Democrats have to figure out how to put up the best candidate — and that may be Joe Biden — but how to put up the best candidate to defend democracy, because the risk in November is not a joke,” Kinzinger said.

The Hill has reached out to Kinzinger and Cheney.

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