Sam Benson writes: "The 2016 election was 'the hardest election, for me, of my life,' Gov. Spencer Cox said. He couldn’t manage to vote that year for either Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, or his own party’s choice, Donald Trump. He ended up writing in someone else.

"By 2020, Cox came around: he acknowledged the Trump administration was doing 'some really good things' and said he would support Trump’s reelection effort. But by November, he couldn’t bring himself to vote for Trump. He, again, wrote in someone else’s name.

"Over the four subsequent years, Cox built a national profile as a Republican governor openly skeptical of Trump’s grip on the GOP. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Cox announced that he would, in fact, be supporting Trump in 2024. It shocked many Utah Republicans — not in the slightest because Cox, just a week earlier, said he would write in a candidate again during a CNN appearance.

"The dilemma that Cox faced for eight years is shared by thousands of religious conservatives in the West. To many, Trump’s character and fitness for office are enough to keep these lifelong Republicans from enthusiastically supporting him. But many do not find the alternative, Vice President Kamala Harris, to be palatable, either: she’s a progressive Democrat with whom they share little in common on policy."

Read more about conservative people of faith and the 2024 presidential election.

Black Desert Resort, with its signature lava, is hustling to get ready for PGA visit

Lee Benson writes: "Maybe you’ve heard of Black Desert. It’s gotten a lot of publicity lately for securing the rights to host a PGA golf tournament this fall, the first time the Tour has come to Utah since 1963. Not only that, next year Black Desert is scheduled to host an LPGA event, something that’s never been done in Utah.

Read more about the Black Desert Resort.

Family

Naomi Schaefer Riley: Vacationing with kids? Consider the all-inclusive resort (Deseret News)

Desiree Cooper: J.D. Vance, if you think grandmothers' purpose is raising children, support policies that help us (MSNBC)

Faith

Vicki Garlock: An unprecedented opportunity to teach our kids about the world’s religions (Deseret News)

The path to 200 houses of the Lord: An introduction and compilation (Church News)

Politics

Dissatisfied democracy (Deseret Magazine)

Richard C. Harwood: Civility — the problem no presidential candidate can solve (Deseret News)

As Democratic convention kicks off, Harris honeymoon continues (Deseret News)

Utah

Free faith. Free families. Why Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver believes he’s the candidate most aligned with Utah values (Deseret News)

Kevin Korous: Why Utah lawmakers should implement universal school lunch (Deseret News)

Researchers using spiders to better understand Great Salt Lake pollution (KSL)

The U.S.

Cliff Smith: How I've changed in my thinking about Brittney Griner (Deseret News)

Couple sues Atlanta hospital for allegedly losing part of patient's skull following brain surgery (NBC News)

The World

A dark musical comedy about witches has Ukraine enthralled. Here's why (NPR)

EVs are starting to overtake gas-powered cars in a surprising place (CNN)

Sports

Gary Sheide’s 1974 Fiesta Bowl elevated, ended his career (Deseret News)

Sports on the air: Here’s what games are on TV and radio for the week of Aug. 18-24 (Deseret News)

PGA Tour golfer Patrick Fishburn holds slim lead in weather-delayed Utah Open (Deseret News)