SALT LAKE CITY — President Joe Biden is slated to deliver his third State of the Union address Tuesday evening, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Maj. Gen. Michael J. Turley will be in attendance when he does.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee announced Monday that Cox will be his guest at the address, while Sen. Mitt Romney announced Tuesday that Turley, an adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, will be his guest.

The speech is one of several events Cox is slated to attend while in the nation's capital this week.

"Coming together for the State of the Union is a long-standing American tradition and I'm honored to join Sen. Lee as his guest in representing Utah," the governor said, in a statement Monday.

He is also slated to attend the National Governors Association winter meeting from Thursday through Sunday, including a meeting at the White House on Friday. Cox was appointed last year to be the association's vice chairman.

Related:

Biden aims to deliver reassurance in State of Union address

President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation's condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Romney said he picked Turley because he believes the Utah National Guard "embodies our state's core values of patriotism and dedication to service. Turley, of West Jordan, first enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1985; he was commissioned as a U.S. Army Engineer officer in 1997 before taking on all sorts of assignments in Utah. He's served as an adjutant general with the Utah National Guard since 2019.

"Under the leadership of Major General Turley, these outstanding men and women have answered the call of duty to protect Utahns and Americans in times of emergency and responded valiantly to threats around the world," Romney said in a statement.

The annual State of the Union address will begin at 7 p.m. MST Tuesday.

Related topics