Gov. Cox heads east to encourage Americans to ‘disagree better’

Utah Governor Cox at the H2Oath News Conference in June 2021. Photo: Utah State Office of the Governor

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire – Utah Governor Spencer Cox is on an east coast tour this week, as he is traveling throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts to urge Americans to ‘disagree better’ about politics.

Cox was elected to the chair position of the National Governors Association in July of this year, and the ‘disagree better’ initiative was one of Cox’s first actions as newly elected chair.

The National Governors Association is a bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors, and serves as a place to identify ‘priority issues and deal with matters of public policy and governance at the state, national and global levels.’

Cox launched the initiative in July of this year, and it is a yearlong effort to help Americans learn skills of healthy conflict and disagreements.

The campaign tries to alter the political behavior of both voters and elected officials by demonstrating that constructive conflict frequently results in better policy, can be more politically effective than negative advertising, and Cox believes it can be a means of regaining public confidence in our democratic institutions.

“Americans are tired of the nasty and endless bickering that characterizes our politics and gets in the way of solving our biggest problems,” Cox said. “Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, we all love this country, and it is critical that we find common ground and constructive ways to work together to solve our challenges. We can debate ideas without attacking each other.”

The New Hampshire bipartisan event was attended by several governors from the northeast, including New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott.

“Governors have a long track record of working across party lines to get things done,” said Gov. Sununu. “Partisan gridlock in America is standing in the way of achieving our potential. I’m proud to welcome disagree better to New Hampshire, and to explore better ways to disagree, find common ground, and move our country in a positive direction.”

The event, which was centered on the theme of ‘Correcting Misperceptions and Highlighting Commonalities,’ included a debate moderated by Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization devoted to political depolarization, panel discussions with bipartisan experts leading national efforts to reduce partisan animosity and foster healthy conflict, and a service project called ‘Show Up for Teachers.’

After the event in New Hampshire, Cox headed to Massachusetts, where he spoke at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to highlight the ‘disagree better’ initiative with Harvard professor Julia Minson.

More information about Cox’s ‘disagree better’ initiative and the National Governors Association can be found here.