Daniel L. Cox

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Daniel Cox
Daniel L Cox official portrait.jpg
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 4th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Personal details
Born (1974-08-09) August 9, 1974 (age 47)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Married
Children9
EducationUniversity of Maryland University College (BS)
Regent University (JD)
ProfessionAttorney
WebsiteOfficial website

Daniel L. Cox (born August 9, 1974) is an American politician. He is a Republican who represents the fourth district in the Maryland House of Delegates.[1] He was also the secretary of the Frederick County Republican Central Committee from 2018 to 2021, and served as a Frederick County co-chair for the state's Trump Victory Leadership County team.[1][2][3] He is a candidate for Maryland governor in the 2022 election and has been endorsed by former president Donald Trump.[4]

Career[]

Cox says he has been active in politics since 1980, when he campaigned with his parents for Ronald Reagan. He also worked on the 1996 presidential campaign of Alan Keyes and as an aide to former U.S. Representative Roscoe Bartlett.[5] From 2007 to 2009, he was the President of the Town Commission of Secretary, Maryland.[1] He was the Republican nominee for Dorchester County Circuit Court Clerk in 2006, losing the race to Democratic nominee Michael L. Baker.[6][7] He was the Republican nominee for Maryland's 8th congressional district in 2016, losing the race to Democratic nominee and state senator Jamie Raskin.[8][9]

In November 2020, Cox said that he was part of a legal team observing the count of mail-in ballots in Philadelphia during the 2020 United States presidential election.[10] He has called for a "forensic audit" of the 2020 election results.[11] Cox called then-vice president Mike Pence a "traitor" during the 2021 United States Capitol attack for not overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.[4]

2016 House of Representatives election campaign[]

Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland § District 8

On February 1, 2016, Cox filed to run in 2016 in Maryland's 8th congressional district.[12] He would cite his children as the reason he ran for Congress, saying that he wanted to leave a better future for them.[13]

During the primary, Cox was described as being the most conservative candidate in the race.[5] He campaigned on imposing a 10 percent flat tax for incomes over $36,000 and eliminating payroll taxes, strengthening gun ownership rights, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and reducing funding and programs for the departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development.[13] He supported Ted Cruz in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.[5] Cox would win the Republican primary with 44.4 percent of the vote.[14]

In the general election, Cox was defeated by Democratic nominee Jamie Raskin.[8][9]

Role in the U.S. Capitol attack[]

Cox helped arrange for buses to take constituents to the "Save America March" in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. He sent a tweet from the event about the then Vice President Mike Pence saying, "Pence is a traitor."[15] In response to the backlash from this, Cox tweeted and retweeted false allegations that antifa started the riot, which he then compared to other protests against Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 2018, and the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2020.[16]

The Frederick County Democratic Central Committee began a letter-writing campaign calling for Cox to be expelled from the House of Delegates for his false claims.[17] Two days later Cox issued a statement denouncing "all mob violence including those who broke into the U.S. Capitol."[17] In the statement Cox said he had attended the rally, but was not involved in the storming of the Capitol. He did not retract his statement about Pence.[17] Governor Larry Hogan and Steven Clark, the chairman of the Frederick County Republican Central Committee, denounced Cox's comments, and delegate Kathleen Dumais, the co-chair of the House Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, said that the committee received some inquiries about Cox's tweets.[18][19]

2022 Maryland gubernatorial election campaign[]

See also: 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election

In late June 2021, Cox filed paperwork to run for governor in 2022, and formally announced his candidacy on July 4, 2021.[20][21] He launched his campaign with a campaign rally in Cambridge on August 6, 2021.[22] He picked Gordana Schifanelli, an Eastern Shore lawyer, as his running mate.[23] On November 22, 2021, Cox received the endorsement of former president Donald Trump.[24][25]

Political positions[]

Abortion[]

In February 2021, Cox joined delegates Kathy Szeliga and Sid Saab at a protest against abortion at the Maryland State House.[26] He has cosponsored several bills that would prohibit abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected, including the Maryland Fetal Heartbeat Protection Act (HB 1195).[27]

Climate change[]

During his 2016 House of Representatives campaign, Cox denied the existence of climate change, dismissing forecasts about its consequences as an "unscientific pretense for more government and corporate intrusion into people's lives".[28] Cox voted against the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2021 (SB 414),[29][30] a proposed climate bill that would have included a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that is 50 percent lower than it was in 2006 by 2030.[31]

COVID-19 pandemic[]

In April 2020, Cox posted a portion of the state constitution on his Facebook page after Governor Hogan issued an executive order implementing a stay-at-home directive.[32] He would later challenge the legality of Maryland governor Larry Hogan's statewide mask mandate.[33] U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Blake would strike down his lawsuit on May 20, 2020, saying that the state and country are "now in the grip of a public health crisis more severe than any seen for a hundred years."[34] He withdrew his request for a temporary restraining order on July 20, 2020.[35] Blake again rejected another lawsuit against COVID-19 restrictions filed by Cox in November 2020.[36] In December 2020, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant rejected a request made by local restaurants represented by Cox and attorney Ed Hartman to reverse an executive order issued by County Executive Marc Elrich that prohibited indoor dining at restaurants.[37]

In May 2020, Cox attended a rally in Annapolis which protested Hogan's stay-at-home orders alongside delegates Warren E. Miller and Brian Chisholm, former delegate Deb Rey, 7th congressional district special election candidate Liz Matory, 2nd congressional district candidate Tim Fazenbaker, #WalkAway founder Brandon Straka, and 2022 gubernatorial candidate and perennial candidate Robin Ficker.[38] Later in the month, Cox posted a tweet promoting a conspiracy theory linking the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the coronavirus pandemic.[39]

In October 2020, Cox provided legal representation for a Harford County man who was arrested for not wearing a mask at a polling place, arguing that the pair were only ordered to wear masks once they were inside the facility and election staff learned that they were Republicans.[40] The family's request for a temporary restraining order to allow them to vote without wearing masks was rejected by Harford County Circuit Judge Angela M. Eaves.[41]

In January 2021, Cox cosponsored the Consent of the Governed Act, which would remove the governor's ability to unilaterally declare a state of emergency and would require the governor to form a special session to extend any state of emergency declaration for longer than fourteen days, which would require two-thirds approval from both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly.[42] In February 2021, Cox proposed a resolution that would immediately end Hogan's coronavirus emergency declaration.[43] In March 2021, he introduced a bill that would ban any requirement to show proof of "a medical examination, a vaccination, a medical test, or any other medical information" for employment or travel, and would allow parents to object to a child's vaccination as a requirement to be admitted to a public school.[44]

In June 2021, Cox called on Hogan to end the state's coronavirus emergency declaration.[45] In August 2021, he would use his Facebook page to ask his constituents to e-mail the Maryland Board of Education to demand that they reject an emergency universal masking mandate regulation for the 2021–2022 academic year.[46]

Cox claims to have survived COVID-19 twice, saying that during one of his bouts with the virus, he took ivermectin he obtained in Florida.[47] Currently, ivermectin is used to treat parasites in livestock and river blindness in humans. It is not approved by the FDA for treatment of COVID-19.

In January 2022, Cox attended a rally against vaccine mandates in Annapolis, Maryland.[48]

Healthcare[]

During his 2016 House of Representatives campaign, Cox said that he would move to scrap the Affordable Care Act if elected.[5] He does not support Medicare For All.[28]

On Yom HaShoah in April 2021, Cox said he would vote against a bill to allow minors to consent to some health care services, comparing it to the infringement of "the rights of parents" by Nazis.[49] Cox defended his remarks in a letter accusing his colleagues of twisting the words he used during an emotionally-charged floor debate to gain partisan advantage, and would offer no apology for his comments.[50]

Immigration[]

During his 2016 House of Representatives campaign, Cox strongly rallied on regulating immigration. He said that he would support the full enforcement of existing laws and passage of Kate's Law, which would establish mandatory minimum five-year prison sentences for any immigrant convicted of reentering the country after being deported.[5]

Cox opposed HB892,[51] a bill that would limit the ability of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to search through the state's driver's license database.[52][53]

Cox strongly opposed the Dignity Not Detention Act, which would prohibit Maryland jurisdictions from contracting with ICE to detain undocumented people in their local jails. During the House debate before the bill's final vote, Cox read off a list of offenses that local law enforcement agencies would not be able to use to pass undocumented people over to ICE after they completed sentences for their crimes. The bill passed the Maryland General Assembly with a veto-proof majority, but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 27, 2021.[54][55]

QAnon[]

In October 2020, Cox made a post on his Twitter account that contained hashtags relating to the QAnon conspiracy theory.[56][57]

Social issues[]

During his 2016 House of Representatives campaign, Cox said that he did not support an increase in the minimum wage.[13]

In August 2017, Cox served as the attorney in a lawsuit challenging the Frederick County Public School's policy on transgender students.[58] The plaintiffs dropped the lawsuit on November 28, 2017, citing stress and potential humiliation that stemmed from the legal action.[59]

In September 2019, Cox introduced a bill to add "dignity of the human body" to the state's hate crime statute to cover spitting on the victim.[60][61][62][63]

In March 2021, Cox voted against HB667, a bill that would abandon "Maryland, My Maryland" as Maryland's state song.[64][65]

Personal life[]

Cox was born in Washington D.C. on August 9, 1974.[1] He started out in Takoma Park, Maryland, but his family moved north to Frederick County after his father, a minister, took a job there. He grew up on a farm near Taneytown, Maryland and worked his way through college as a lifeguard and a restaurant server.[13] He attended the University of Maryland University College, where earned a B.S. degree in government and politics in 2002, and Regent University School of Law, where he earned a J.D. degree with distinction in 2006. He has a been a member of the Maryland State Bar Association since 2006,[1] and previously worked as the sole practitioner for his law firm, Cox Law Center, which was located outside of Emmitsburg, Maryland.[13]

Cox has been married for over 20 years and has nine children.[1]

Electoral history[]

Republican primary, Congress, Maryland 8th district, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan Cox 20,647 44
Republican Jeffrey W. Jones 9,343 20
Republican Liz Matory 7,295 16
Republican Shelly Skolnick 5,835 13
Republican Aryeh Shudofsky 3,421 7
General election, Congress, Maryland 8th district, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jamie Raskin 220,657 61
Republican Dan Cox 124,651 34
Green Nancy Wallace 11,201 3
Libertarian Jasen Wunder 7,283 2
Write-In Other Write-Ins 527 0
Write-In Kevin Levester Little 5 0
Maryland House of Delegates 4th District Republican Primary Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan Cox 7,728 36
Republican Jesse T. Pippy 7,052 32
Republican Barrie S. Ciliberti 7,018 32
Maryland House of Delegates 4th District Republican General Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dan Cox 33,303 21
Republican Barrie S. Ciliberti 31,817 20
Republican Jesse T. Pippy 31,071 19
Democratic Lois Jarman 22,807 14
Democratic Ysela Bravo 21,901 14
Democratic Darrin Ryan Smith 20,462 13
Other/Write-in Other/Write-in 92 0

References[]

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  2. ^ "Dan Cox". Frederick County GOP. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
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  34. ^ Bohnel, Steve (May 20, 2020). "Federal judge rejects Cox lawsuit over Hogan's COVID-19 executive orders". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  35. ^ Bohnel, Steve (July 20, 2020). "Del. Cox withdraws restraining order, injunction request from appeals court". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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  40. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (October 28, 2020). "Lawmaker Takes Legal Case of Man Arrested for Not Wearing a Mask at Polling Place". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  41. ^ Opilo, Emily (October 30, 2020). "Judge rejects request from Harford County father and son to vote without face masks". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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  49. ^ "GOP lawmaker marks Holocaust remembrance day by likening child mental health bill to Nazi laws". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
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  51. ^ "Legislation - HB0892".
  52. ^ "Md. Legislators Considering An Immigration Enforcement Restrictions Bill". WFMD. February 11, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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  54. ^ Gaskill, Hannah (April 13, 2021). "Legislature Passes Immigrants' Rights Bill; Hogan Veto Expected". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  55. ^ Velazquez, Rose (May 27, 2021). "Hogan vetoes bill that would have ended Worcester County contract to house ICE detainees". Delmarvanow. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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  58. ^ Etzler, Allen (August 14, 2017). "Lawsuit filed over Frederick County Public Schools' transgender policy". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  59. ^ St. George, Donna (November 28, 2017). "Legal challenge to transgender policy in Maryland school system withdrawn". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  60. ^ "Legislation - HB1243". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  61. ^ Collins, David (September 25, 2019). "Frederick County delegate is drafting legislation to expand hate crime definition". WBAL-TV. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  62. ^ Broom, Scott (September 25, 2019). "Should spitting on a victim be a hate crime?". WUSA (TV). Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  63. ^ Bohnel, Steve (September 24, 2019). "Del. Cox proposes changes to state hate crime law after assault at fair". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  64. ^ "Legislation - HB0667". Maryland General Assembly.
  65. ^ Cohen, Steven (March 31, 2021). "Maryland decides to replace its state song". WDVM-TV. Retrieved November 23, 2021.

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