Former Maryland Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox filed Monday to run for Rep. David Trone’s (D-Md.) seat in the House.
Cox, a former Maryland state delegate, filed with the Federal Election Commision to run for Maryland’s 6th congressional district. Trone announced in May that he would be running for Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Ma.) seat after the senator announced he would retire after his current term ends.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) defeated Cox in the state’s gubernatorial race last year and became the state’s first Black governor.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) had spoken out against Cox, who he said was a “big loss for the Republican Party” after he won GOP gubernatorial primary last year.
Cox, who was endorsed by former President Trump, prominently denied the results of the 2020 presidential election and echoed Trump’s disproven claims. He also organized buses for attendees of Trump’s Washington, D.C., rally on Jan. 6, 2021, from which scores of Trump supporters marched on and rioted at the Capitol.
Cox also sought to impeach Hogan in February 2022 for the govenor’s imposition of COVID-19 restrictions.
Before running for governor, Cox ran for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in 2016. He lost that race to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) in the general election after winning the GOP primary.
Republicans have an uphill battle in the state of Maryland after the state most recently elected Moore with more than 64 percent of the vote. President Biden also carried the state in 2020 with more than 65 percent of the vote.
Maryland State Del. Joe Vogel (D) also announced a bid for Trone’s seat in May. If elected, he would become the latest member of Generation Z elected to Congress.