CAMBRIDGE — Dan Cox, a pro-Trump Republican running for Maryland governor, kicked off his 2022 in Cambridge at Governor’s Hall at Sailwinds Park on Thursday, Aug. 5. Cox is in the GOP primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Larry Hogan (a Republican Trump critic) along with Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz and Robin Ficker. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, an MSNBC analyst and Trump foe, could also get into the GOP primary.
The Democratic field includes several contenders including former U.S. Education Secretary John King, former state attorney General Doug Gansler, Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot and former Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez.
Cox is a state lawmaker from Frederick, with close ties to the Shore, and hopes to tap into conservative populist sentiments against coronavirus mandates and critical race theory. The latter entails putting an academic and contemporary focus on race, racism and the mistreatment of minorities and indigenous persons which is strongly opposed by conservatives.
Cox is also recognized as having been a leader on his judiciary committee and as GOP caucus chair defending second amendment rights. “I believe in shall issue and constitutional carry and introduced a bill to repeal the Red Flag law on due process grounds,” Cox said in an interview with Dorchester Star editor Hannah Combs. “We are avid hunters and my son won a national championship last year for high school trap shooting and we are going again this summer. I believe strongly that improving education should include no indoctrination in CRT antiAmerican ideology and should instead have pro-American and 2A classes for all.”
There is absolutely nothing Republican about Hogan or Michael Steele. RINOS all the way.