> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://utahpolitics.news/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Disagree better, except about insurrections
- URL: https://utahpolitics.news/podcasts/spencer-cox-pardon-trump-biden/
- Published: 2026-09-02T22:09:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-02T22:10:06.000Z
- Author: Bryan Schott
- Tags: Podcasts

On this week's episode of Special Session, we break down the latest shifts in our 2026 race ratings, a shakeup in Senate District 11, a troubling USPS whistleblower report, and new reporting on Gov. Spencer Cox's upcoming book.

- **House and Senate ratings updated.** New campaign finance filings [moved five House races](https://utahpolitics.news/utah-house-no-toss-up-races-2026/). HD26 and HD30 both look more competitive than their voting history alone suggests once you factor in the Utah Competitiveness Index, and Senate District 5 could be one of the closest races on the ballot.
- **SD11 becomes a one-on-one race**. [Democrat Mackenzie Miller dropped out](https://utahpolitics.news/utah-senate-district-11-democrat-withdraws/) on the final day possible, clearing a head-to-head contest between Forward Party incumbent Emily Buss and Republican Brooks Benson. A Buss win would make her the first third-party candidate elected to the Utah Legislature since 1916.
- **USPS whistleblower report raises alarms.** [A new report](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/whistleblower-postal-services-work-to-comply-with-trump-order-is-rushed-and-sloppy?ref=utahpolitics.news) alleges USPS kept building a mail-ballot verification system for Trump's election order despite court orders to stop, and that a single mismatched name in a batch can void every ballot in it. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson is pushing back publicly.
- **Spencer Cox's book, Off-Ramp, drops next week.** New reporting reveals Cox privately pitched President Biden on pardoning Donald Trump after Jan. 6 to "lower the temperature."
- **Two more picks for the Utah Supreme Court.** Judge Matthew Bell and attorney Mike Menssen are nominated to fill two vacancies, which would give Gov. Cox six of the court's seven seats pending Senate confirmation.

🎥 **Watch or listen to the full episode** [at this link](https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-st84k-1b4de36?ref=utahpolitics.news).