Former Maryland gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox will seek to flip his state’s 6th Congressional District seat from blue to red in 2024.
The Republican filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission on July 3.
Currently, Maryland’s 6th District is represented by third-term Rep. David Trone (D-Md.).
In May, Trone announced that he would be vacating the seat to run for Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) Senate seat upon Cardin’s retirement at the end of his current term.
Cox, a former state delegate, received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in his 2022 bid for the governorship. Although Cox defeated the more moderate Kelly Schulz in the GOP primary, he was ultimately routed by the state’s current Democrat Gov. Wes Moore.
Prior to running for governor, Cox sought Maryland’s 8th Congressional District seat in 2016. After winning the primary, he lost that race to Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cox was a vocal critic of former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s policies, which included mask mandates and stay-at-home orders.
In the state’s General Assembly, he introduced articles of impeachment against Hogan, but they were ultimately rejected by members of his own party.
Although he did not challenge the results of the 2022 election, Cox asked the U.S. Supreme Court in January to reverse an emergency state court order issued prior to the election that suspended parts of Maryland’s election law forbidding the early counting of mail-in ballots.
The court order, Cox held, violated the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution in allowing ballots to be opened more than a month prior to Election Day.
“Mr. Cox was the only elected official who saw an issue with what the Board of Elections was doing,” Cox’s attorney, Ed Hartman, told The Epoch Times in February.
“It is important to him that the branches of government comply with their constitutional duties, and that elections throughout Maryland are fair and legal.”
The Supreme Court rejected Cox’s challenge, however, provided no explanation as to why.
In his new political endeavor, Cox will face off against Democrat Joe Vogel, a Maryland state delegate. Vogel announced his bid for the seat in May via Twitter.
“We need a new generation of leaders in Washington who understand exactly what’s at stake in this moment,” Vogel wrote.
“We just can’t wait to end gun violence, secure our rights, protect our democracy, and save our planet. Join me in the fight for our future.”