Utah governor says he hopes Republican party can ‘turn the page’ on Trump in 2024

Six former or current governors have already announced their White House bids

When CBS News’ Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox whether one of the many Republican governors running in the 2024 race could defeat Mr Trump in a primary election, Mr Cox said he hoped his party could move on from the former president.

“I hope so. I like governors. I think governors are great and have real experience. The great thing about governors is we have to get stuff done, right? We can’t just do the performance thing. … Potholes aren’t partisan. You have to do those kind of things,” Mr Cox said.

“And I think we have lots of amazing choices, and I’m really hopeful that we can turn the page and try something else. Someone who can win, which I think is important, and I think any of those governors could win and I certainly hope we’ll give them a chance,” he added.

Brennan was referring to former Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson, former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, as well as Mike Pence, who served as Indiana governor before becoming Mr Trump’s vice president.

Gov Cox joins a number of prominent Republicans – perhaps none more so than former Attorney General Bill Barr – who are trying to distance themselves from the former president, who faces several ongoing lawsuits and criminal investigations.

Despite these legal challenges, Mr Trump remains the frontrunner in the polls for the 2024 race.

The former president leads in a crowded Republican field, which also includes Sen Tim Scott, former Texas congressman Will Hurd, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, conservative talk radio host Larry Elder and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.