Build it here, and they will come.
If there was a big takeaway from Republican Gov. Spencer Cox’s fifth State of the State address he wanted you to remember, it was: “We must build.” It was a call he wanted everyone in the state to hear.
“Whether you live near the red rocks of St. George or the snow-capped peaks of the Uintas; whether you look out over the copper-crowned mountains of the west or the mirrored waters of Bear Lake; to all Utahns in every corner of this state and anywhere in between — in every one of our 255 cities and towns; to Utahns of every race, background, and creed; to the young and the young at heart,” he said. “We must build.”
Cox spent a good portion of his 30-minute speech telling stories from Utah’s past that illustrated what he believes makes the state so unique. That included stonemason John Rowe Moyle, who walked 22 miles each way on a wooden leg to work on Salt Lake City’s Temple Square, Philo Farnsworth’s invention of the electric television and the Borgstrom family’s story of losing four sons in WWII.

He contrasted that idyllic vision of Utah’s grit and innovation with what he said has been a slow divergence between the Beehive State and the rest of the country in recent years, saying “Utah’s values used to be American values.”
“We built roads, bridges, and homes at an unprecedented pace,” he said. “We harnessed our industrial might to win world wars and stop fascism. We stood as a bulwark against communism. Strong families, neighborhoods and communities were the foundation of this era of growth.”
Cox lamented the gap between the country’s ideals and its actions. He pointed to the negativity and inertia that replaced a culture of building.
“We stopped building infrastructure… We stopped building technology… And, worst of all, we stopped building resilient people.”
But not in Utah, he said. The state still stands apart and has stayed weird, in a call back to his 2024 speech.

After his second inauguration, the governor announced his administration would be focused on what they call a “Built Here” strategic plan. The aim is to achieve 22 policy goals like enhancing behavioral health infrastructure and increased homeownership to make the state a better place to live.
Doubling down on his goal to build 35,000 starter homes by 2030 in his State of the State, Cox said Utah is at a fork in the road where the state can either “press forward with our pioneer spirit, our grit, our industry and our faith, and build the next great chapter of Utah’s story — or we can be washed away in the negative, nationwide malaise of dysfunction.”
Listing his legislative priorities for the rest of the session, the governor did not hide his enthusiasm for pursuing nuclear power in the state, which would go hand-in-hand with permitting reform efforts underway both in Washington D.C. and Utah.
Cox praised Republican-led efforts to address public safety this session, saying they “balance accountability with compassion.”
Some of those efforts would increase penalties for persons who do not have legal status and then commit an additional crime. Cox said the intent was to make “Utah inclusive to every lawful newcomer, while fiercely guarding the proven values that make us proud and peculiar.”
Conversations that tie public safety and immigration together have been an early pain point between the GOP Supermajority and legislative Democrats. They say tying the two together creates a climate of fear for many Latinos, especially if they come from a mixed-status family.

In the Democratic response to the State of the State, Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla committed to the protection of the rights and dignity of all Utahns, “not just some,” and to push back on punitive reactionary policies.
“[We] will fight for solutions that uplift all communities and address the real challenges Utahns face every day. We will safeguard the constitutional rights of Utahns, ensuring their due process, freedom of speech, and values that our state and nation are built upon.”
On the first day of the session, Democrats laid out their respective priorities and the response remarks from House Minority Leader Angela Romero and Escamilla emphasized many of those same points.
Defending the judiciary’s independence, protecting public lands, investing in renewable energy and supporting policies that will bring down the cost of living and housing were all touched on.
“Utah's economy is often praised, yet so many of our hard-working families feel left behind by the increasing cost of living and housing,” Romero said.
“Creating common-sense improvements to our density policies and decreasing the cost of housing will help Utahns build the foundation for their families, careers, and long-term prosperity.”
The 2025 legislative session ends March 7.