--- description: Find out how Spencer Cox is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2022 TIME100 Next: Spencer Cox image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteed6beb620a0fb3e/698a35d0d075330adce6d416/time100-next-spencer-cox.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 28, 2022 # Spencer Cox by [Molly Ball](/author/molly-ball/) ## Molly Ball Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Spenser Heaps—The Deseret News/Pool/AP Spenser Heaps—The Deseret News/Pool/APSpenser Heaps—The Deseret News/Pool/AP When the Utah legislature [passed a bill](https://time.com/6176799/trans-sports-bans-conservative-movement/ "undefined") earlier this year prohibiting trans students from participating in school sports, [Governor Spencer Cox](https://time.com/6206233/spencer-cox-utah-governor-interview/ "undefined") vetoed it, even though he knew the GOP-dominated body would override his veto. Cox, a Republican, agreed with the underlying policy but had been trying to craft a compromise to bring LGBTQ advocates to the table. Cox’s gesture, and his expressions of sympathy for trans kids, drew condemnation from the right. But in an age when the easy path to political popularity is to constantly throw out red meat to the base, Cox has taken a pointedly different approach. Elected in 2020, the former telecom executive and farmer has struck an inclusive tone on race and LGBTQ issues while pursuing a conservative policy agenda. He’s trying, he says, to chip away at the polarization and division that have reached such a fever pitch in our politics. “I’m really worried about the future of our country and our ability to keep it all together,” Cox says. “I still believe in the exhausted majority, and I hope they’ll wake up.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213898/spencer-cox/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213898/spencer-cox/"},"headline":"Spencer Cox","datePublished":"2022-09-28T09:58:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:06:53.979Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213898/spencer-cox/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteed6beb620a0fb3e/698a35d0d075330adce6d416/time100-next-spencer-cox.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Molly Ball","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/molly-ball/"}],"creator":"Molly Ball","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteed6beb620a0fb3e/698a35d0d075330adce6d416/time100-next-spencer-cox.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213898/spencer-cox/","name":"Spencer Cox"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 Next: See Every Honoree","description":"See every 2022 TIME100 Next honoree in under two minutes.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/i4LJ3fau/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2022-09-28T10:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i4LJ3fau.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213898/spencer-cox/","duration":"PT1M59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213898/spencer-cox/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```