Republican Dan Cox - endorsed by Trump - has focus on Maryland governor's race
BALTIMORE - Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox is focusing on the economy, education, and crime in his general election campaign.
The delegate representing Frederick and Carroll Ccunties hopes to win statewide, as Governor Larry Hogan did twice.
Cox introduced a bill earlier this year to impeach Hogan over the governor's handling of pandemic. The measure failed.
"I think the governor's done a very good job, in large part, except for the lockdowns, of course. We've disagreed there," Cox said at the J. Millard Tawes Crab & Clam Bake last month.
WJZ has tried on numerous occasions through his campaign to set up a one-on-one interview with Dan Cox ahead of November's election. The campaign did not respond to those requests.
Cox earned the Republican nomination in July, defeating Hogan cabinet secretary Kelly Schulz in the primary. Cox touted the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in that race.
"I'm very grateful Donald Trump has decided to continue his support to help us get to the finish line to win this," Cox said this week following the debate.
The former president is hosting a fundraiser in Florida for Cox this weekend at Mar-A-Lago. Democrat Wes Moore has a significant fundraising advantage over Cox as the campaign enters its final weeks.
Cox faced criticism across political parties after January 6, 2021 when he tweeted Vice President Mike Pence was a "traitor" for certifying 2020 election results, which to this day, Cox believes was "stolen." Cox apologized for the tweet and deleted it.
Governor Hogan called Cox a "QAnon whack job" and said he would not vote for him in the general election. Cox has tweeted hashtags of the far-right conspiracy theory in the past.
"Absolutely not," Cox responded to WJZ's question on whether he believed in any of QAnon's beliefs. "I'm disavowing all of that. This is just a lie."
Cox said he would continue Hogan's policies on crime and education, saying he wants to expand the state's "Boost" program for more lower-income students to attend private schools. He is also against abortion rights, but says it is a non-issue for voters.
"The abortion issue is not even on the table right now in voters' hearts. The issue in front of us is can they even pay for their own kids' food," Cox said.
