Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah are sitting for a wide-ranging interview with “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday, as the Democratic and Republican leaders have been at the forefront of handling political violence in their states.
Cox, a Republican, was widely praised for his handling of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in Utah in September, an event that inflamed political divides. Shapiro, a Democrat, has dealt with political violence repeatedly in his state, including the attempt on President Donald Trump’s life at a rally in Butler last year and the politically motivated firebombing of his own home this year.
Shapiro had similarly received plaudits from both sides of the aisle for his handling of the aftermath of the attempt on Trump’s life.
In a speech about political violence days after Kirk was assassinated, Shapiro criticized the “selective condemnation” of such attacks.
“As I have made clear each and every time, this type of violence has no place in our society, regardless of what motivates it or who pulls the trigger, who throws the Molotov cocktail or who wields the weapon,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s coming from one side or from the other, directed at one party or another, one person or another, it is all wrong, and it makes us all less safe.”
Shapiro and Cox have built a friendship across party lines. In September, Shapiro reached out to Cox to offer any assistance he could following Kirk’s death, a person familiar with their conversation said.
