The recent 2026 Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit in Salt Lake City had a lot of elements typical of its predecessors.
The presentation of an economic report to the governor. A speech about the state’s economic status and its economic outlook for the new year. A briefing about the Salt Lake Chamber’s legislative priorities. A legislative panel. A keynote address.
But a scolding of the audience by the state’s top government official? That was unusual, especially in a state where numerous politicos — including that official — and businesspeople have long lauded Utah’s collaborative spirit and ability to get along together as a key reason for the state’s economic success.
On the proverbial eve of the 2026 legislative general session, Gov. Spencer J. Cox took time during a fireside chat with former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to chastise the audience, consisting primarily of businesspeople, and urge them to “get more involved.”
“I’m going to be very blunt with all of you: You’ve abandoned us,” Cox told the crowd. “You have. We do not see the business community on Capitol Hill like we did when I started this 10 years ago. It’s not even close.
“Everybody just kind of does their thing. And they’ll complain about legislation but they don’t show up. That’s a little blunt. Not all of you. Some of you certainly show up. But it’s distinctly different. And when I mean show up, I mean show up. Be there, and let people know.”
Cox’s involvement call was later echoed by Senate President Stuart Adams. Cox also urged audience members to run for office — comments later reinforced by House Speaker Mike Schultz.
“If you’re unhappy with something, then you need to find other people to be in the Legislature,” the governor said. “You need to actually find candidates. Some of you need to run for the Legislature. We need you. We desperately need you,” he said to audience applause.
During a legislative panel, Schultz described the world as hyper-partisan on both sides.
“Those on the extreme sides are becoming more and more engaged and more and more involved and they’re running for office. We need good, reasonable problem-solvers to jump in and run for office to keep Utah great, to keep Utah the No. 1 state in the nation,” he said.
“Please get involved. Please encourage your employees to get involved and run for office, whether it’s at the city council level, whether it’s the county level, state level or even federal level.”
Adams listed other ways for people to participate in the political world, saying they can visit legislators in person or provide feedback via email or texts.
“I’m really excited right now because, because of COVID, you can actually make testimony in committee, remotely. You can be home in your kitchen — you know, in your pajamas — and you can come into the committee, raise your hand and make testimony,” Adams said.
“I always say my ideas are the best — everybody’s heard that, ‘my ideas are the best,’ hopefully somebody’s laughing out there — but even the best ideas that I come up with, if they get vetted by my colleagues, by the public, they get better, and it’s only through your input that we’re going to get a good idea. So, get involved. You can do it
very easily.”
The summit at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City was hosted by the Utah Chamber, Salt Lake Chamber and the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.