Utah Gov. Gary Herbert Delivers Farewell Address

Governor Gary Herbert speaking about Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act in Washington, D.C. in 2011. Photo: By Medill DC – Flickr, CC BY 2.0

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. — Last night Governor Gary Herbert addressed Utahns for the last time after serving 11 years in office, the longest a governor has ever served in U.S. history. He expressed appreciation for his colleagues, discussed Utah’s significant population growth over the past decade, and lauded the state’s decreasing unemployment rates and low poverty rates.

“We have a sense of community in Utah that is like no other in the nation,” Herbert said during his speech. “During the past eleven and a half years, we have witnessed unprecedented growth here in Utah. There are about 550,000 Utahns today who didn’t live here when I was first inaugurated.”

Herbert also addressed the Covid-19 pandemic, Utah’s vaccination plans, and how he looks forward to the future when the state, nation, and world can resume normalcy.

“If there was ever a time that we needed collaboration, it is now,” Herbert said. “We must stand together with mutual respect and civility for all.”

Herbert expressed gratitude for his own family and closed his speech with some background on Governor-elect Spencer Cox.

“Utah is and can continue to be that beacon of light and hope for others to look up to and learn from,” Herbert said.