Gov. Cox got national attention after the Charlie Kirk killing. Here’s how his views have shifted.

Spencer Cox first rose to the national scene in the wake of a shooting that shook the nation — a massacre at the Pulse Night Club, a gay bar in Orlando, Florida, that claimed 49 lives. At the time, in 2016, it was the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history. Then Utah’s lieutenant governor, Cox won praise from pundits and politicos for his raw, compassionate words, confessing his regret over his mistreatment of gay classmates as a young high school student. Now, nine years later, the second-term governor has found himself again on the national stage in the aftermath of more gun violence — a shooting that left prominent conservative activist and provocateur Charlie Kirk dead, cut down during an appearance at Orem’s Utah Valley University. And Cox has used the platform to sound an alarm about corrosive political discourse and the dangerous path the nation is traveling. “Every one of us has to make a decision. Are we going to hate our neighbor? Are we going to hate the other side? Are we going to return violence with violence?” Cox asked during an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” “or are we going to find a different path?” He blamed social media companies and “conflict entrepreneurs” whose algorithms, he said, addict users and fuel more outrage. “Can we put that aside?” he asked. “Can we go and serve our fellow human beings? Can we do some good in our neighborhood? Can we hug a family member? Can we talk to a neighbor that we disagree with? That’s up to us. And that’s the only way out of this. There’s nothing else we can do to solve this dark chapter in our history.” Reporting: Robert Gehrke Video: Trevor Christensen The Salt Lake Tribune