A deep red state governor is backtracking on his pledge to support former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid, a shocking change of mind after announcing his support during the Republican primary season.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox made the announcement on CNN where he told host Kaitlan Collins he can no longer justify voting for Trump after winning his primary against pro-Trump challenger Phil Lyman.

VOTE NOW: Do you blame BIDEN or TRUMP for the crashing economy?

Referring to Republican voters, Cox stated, “They chose a candidate this time around that was not my first choice, wasn’t my choice last time either, but the party’s spoken and that’s why they have chosen so I’ve said I’m not going to vote for either presidential candidate this year, I’ll write somebody in as I’ve done in the past,” according to the Post Millennial.

Doubling down, Gov. Cox told Collins he has never voted for President Trump and last voted for a Republican presidential nominee in 2012 when Mitt Romney ran against former President Barack Obama during his reelection. “I’ve said before I haven’t voted for the top of the ticket since 2012. I’ve certainly had my concerns one of those is what happened on January 6,” the Utah governor added.

WATCH:

The Post reported on flare-ups during Cox’s Republican primary against Lyman when the two tangled over Utah’s sanctuary state designation by federal immigration officials. Lyman focused his effort to unseat Cox around the issue, putting the governor on the defense. During a town hall in March, Cox insisted that his opponent was attempting “to use fear and divisiveness to try to gain power,” according to the Utah News Dispatch.

“Utah’s ‘sanctuary’ status puts every single Utahn in unnecessary danger. Why has our governor been adamant in his claim that we are not a sanctuary state?” Lyman wrote on X in response.

Other points of contention included Gov. Cox’s decision to sign a law in May granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants and his vetoing of a bill that would prevent biological men from competing in women’s sports.

President Trump withheld his endorsement during the gubernatorial primary despite Cox affirming his support for Nikki Haley and declaring that the GOP would be making a “huge mistake” if they nominated the former president, according to Deseret News. He remains an outlier among his peers; 20 of the nation’s 26 Republican governors have pledged to vote for Trump in November.

(BREAKING: Your Bank Account Is About To Be Cut In HALF)