Josh Shapiro and Utah Gov. Cox condemn political violence in joint appearance on eve of anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s killing
Gov. Josh Shapiro said his family has repeatedly faced terroristic threats. "And oftentimes it’s rooted in an attack on me because of how I worship,” the governor noted.
One year ago, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was on his way to deliver one of the most sobering speeches of his political career.
The conservative activist Charlie Kirk had been assassinated a university in the state, and the nation was teeming with emotion — grief, vengeance and celebration all mixed together.
Amid a flurry of messages of support from other leaders, Cox, a Republican, said he spoke to Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who experienced political violence of his own and offered advice for how Cox could comfort a jostled community.
“I called him on the way to the press conference, and he told me to ditch my talking points and to speak from the heart,” Cox recalled on the eve of the anniversary of Kirk’s killing. “I’m grateful for that advice. I took it, and it was really important in that moment.”
Cox, whose new book on healing political divisions released Tuesday, appeared on stage with Shapiro at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia Wednesday as a continuation of the relationship the two governors have built in part from the tragedy of politically-motivated attacks.
The event, moderated by New York Times journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro, centered on how every member of society can hold respectful and productive conversations, even with people with whom they disagree. It comes less than two months before the midterm elections, as Democrats and Republicans wage heated campaigns for control of Congress and governor’s offices around the country, including in Pennsylvania.
Shapiro, who along with his family narrowly escaped an arson attack on the governor’s mansion last year while they were staying there to celebrate Passover, said Americans should be “deeply concerned” about political violence and should not allow it to be rewarded or take deeper root in our nation.
Since that April 2025 attack, threats have persisted, largely related to his Jewish faith, he said.
“We’ve had six different people arrested in the last six or seven months for making terroristic threats against me and my wife, against our family, and oftentimes it’s rooted in an attack on me because of how I worship,” he said.
Cody Balmer, the man who pleaded guilty to setting fire to the governor’s mansion, chose one of the holiest Jewish holidays to execute his plans and told a 911 dispatcher that night he would not take part in Shapiro’s “plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.”
The experience has left Shapiro conflicted.
“I have a like a split screen in my brain. I know that the incidents of political violence are rising. I know that the incidents of hate speech and hate crimes are rising, particularly against American Jews,” he said.
Angrier rhetoric, he said, gets rewarded with online engagement and campaign donations.
“Yet the other side of my brain gets to be governor in the greatest place, I think, in this nation, in the toughest swing state in the union, and as I go all across this commonwealth, I am met by good, decent people who offer prayers to my family, in ways that I don’t worship,” he said.
After Kirk’s killing, Shapiro condemned all political violence and ordered flags to be flewn at half-staff in his honor. He also called out “dark rhetoric” that rejoiced at Kirk’s death.
“The talk of celebrating this man’s death, no matter how profound a disagreement over a policy should be, he left behind a wife and two children,” Shapiro said, at the time. “No one should be celebrating that. No one. I think that kind of rhetoric is unhelpful on every level.”
Shapiro, a possible 2028 presidential contender, has also talked about the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in the state during the 2024 campaign while pushing Trump to be more comprehensive when speaking out against political violence. On Thursday, he urged Cox to use his power within the GOP to call for unity.
“I would say to my friend Governor Cox,” he said, “I hope he recognizes the power that he has from the perch that he occupies and the respect that you’ve earned across the country, and you use that power to help heal our politics and bring us closer together.”
Cox, who has said Trump is “not interested in uniting the country” despite endorsing him in 2024, has ruled out a 2028 presidential run of his own but quipped Shapiro may be interested.
“Somebody someday is going to run for president,” he said. “By the way, I just want to be clear, it may be somebody in this room. It’s not me.”
The audience cheered for Shapiro, who smiled and said “Cox for president” into his microphone.
Cox also praised Shapiro’s ability to “get stuff done” with a divided legislature, using the Pennsylvania’s governor’s signature slogan.
“That’s going to be on a campaign ad,” Garcia-Navarro said.
