Gubernatorial candidate Brian King seeks support from Utah Nikki Haley backers

Gubernational candidate Brian King. Photo: King for Utah

UTAH – Following Utah’s Republican Presidential caucus on Tuesday, current state Representative and 2024 Democratic candidate for Governor Brian King invites Nikki Haley supporters to join his campaign and support his bid for Governor.

Former President Donald Trump won Utah’s presidential caucus on Tuesday, defeating Haley by over 11,000 votes. Haley suspended her Presidential campaign shortly after a string of losses on Tuesday.

Despite the loss, Haley had some success in Utah, winning both Salt Lake and Davis Counties, the first and third most populous counties in Utah.

“I was heartened to see Nikki Haley perform well,” Brian King said. “This is another stark reminder that Utah is at an inflection point. With good reason, our Republican party is divided and many Utahns are looking for a political home.”

To win the Governorship, King will have to persuade an extensive amount of registered Republicans to reach across party lines. This can be evidenced by his attempt to attract Haley’s supporters in the state.

“To every Utahn who turned out to vote for Nikki Haley or who voted for Donald Trump with anxiety or skepticism: You’re not alone in feeling like you haven’t left your party, but instead, your party has left you. You aren’t alone in feeling that your party no longer speaks for your priorities and values. As Utahns, we can’t forget who we are and what we stand for. We can do better,” King said.

“I’m running for Governor to offer an alternative – a government that prioritizes the public good over personal interests, delivering results, not rhetoric, and a culture of courage and character, not contention – for the better.”

In a previous interview with Townlift, King acknowledged the need to attract Republican voters, which he believes will be possible due to the current state of the Republican party.

“Today’s Republican Party is revealing itself as being in the thrall of an authoritarian influence,” King said. “In 2020, when the leader of the Republican party ran for reelection, there was no Republican platform at all.”

“There wasn’t an effort to talk about policies at all. And since then, we’ve seen a repeat of that in the 2024 campaign by Donald Trump. We’ve seen him explicitly talk about being an authoritarian and being in control. Just trust me, give me the power, give me all the power, I’ll do whatever I want,” King said.

King is presently the sole candidate vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the position of Governor, where he will face the winner of the Republican nomination in the general election in November.

“We may disagree on some issues, but the fundamentals of common sense, good government, freedom, and democracy we share. Consider this a formal invitation to join us in this movement. You will be welcomed with open arms,” said King.