Utah Gov. Spencer Cox listens to a question at his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Isaac Hale/The Deseret News via AP, Pool,File) Isaac Hale/AP/File

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s campaign to turn down the nation’s political temperature has long stood out as a rarity in a Republican Party led by President Donald Trump.

But Cox’s commanding role as the nation grapples with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk gives his calls to end the cycle of violent division a new prominence.

It also laid bare a sharp divide within the GOP over the way forward, even as prominent Democrats and some Republicans praised Cox’s performance before a national audience Friday.

Cox said Americans faced a decision: “Is this the end of a dark chapter of ou

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