Dan Cox, a lawyer who sat in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2019 to 2023, is again the Republican nominee for governor of Maryland in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Dan Cox.
Live News
Recent media coverage for Dan Cox.
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UMD students discuss decisions behind voting, not voting in upcoming midterm elections
“At the end of the day, we’re hoping that the people we elect are going to use good judgement and follow through on the things that they said they were going to do,” Hanmer said.
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Deadline to request a mail-in ballot for Nov. 3 midterm elec...
Gov. Wes Moore (left) and Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox (right) will face off Oct. 6 in a televised debate four weeks ahead of Election Day.
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Governor, Dan Cox
Name: Dan Cox. City / town / neighborhood: Cascade. ×. This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content.
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What happened to Howard County Republicans? We asked them.
Some county conservatives have distanced themselves from the GOP in an effort to gain more ground with voters.
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America is politically polarized. In Maryland, a few purple pockets remain.
The Banner article discusses Maryland's political landscape, noting that while the state is broadly polarized, only a few purple, swing areas remain.
More coverage 4
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Gov. Candidate Dan Cox Criticizes Key Bridge Rebuild Delays
Dan Cox, a candidate for Maryland governor, criticizes delays in the Key Bridge rebuild.
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Afternoon Updates: Harris Misstates Recording Rights; Mosby Charges Dropped; Gun Found at Woodlawn High · HarborBeat
The article notes that Maryland gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox has pledged to pursue continuous construction on the Key Bridge, criticizing the current state timeline and promising to address regional transportation…
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Montgomery County early voting opens Oct. 22 at 14 sites
Dan Cox is the Republican challenger running for Maryland governor in the current election cycle, opposing incumbent Governor Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller.
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Moore slammed by press groups, youth car thefts get extra attention
Dan Cox: Maryland gubernatorial candidate: is referenced in relation to Gov. Wes Moore’s debate coverage.
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- Born
- August 9, 1974
- Birthplace
- Washington, D.C.
- Education
- Mount St. Mary's University (attended 1992 to 1995)
University of Maryland Global Campus (bachelor's degree in government and politics, 2002)
Regent University School of Law (J.D., 2006)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Daniel Lewis Cox was born on August 9, 1974, in Washington, D.C., one of ten children of Gary Cox, a pastor. The family lived in Takoma Park, Maryland, before moving to Frederick County when his father took a ministry post there, and Cox was raised on a farm near Taneytown.
Educated as a child through Wellspring Christian Family Schools, a home-school organization his father founded, he spent 1992 to 1995 at Mount St. Mary's University, finished a government and politics degree at the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2002, and received a J.D. with distinction from Regent University School of Law in 2006.
He taught high school at Walkersville Christian Family Schools from 1995 to 2005 and from 2006 was a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and a sole practitioner outside Emmitsburg.
Career
Cox lost the 2006 race for Dorchester County Circuit Court Clerk as the Republican nominee and from 2007 to 2009 presided over the town commission of Secretary, Maryland.
In 2016 he won the Republican primary in Maryland's 8th congressional district with 44.4% of the vote and lost the general election to Democrat Jamie Raskin. Elected to the Maryland House of Delegates from the 4th district in 2018, he served from 2019 to 2023 on the Judiciary Committee.
He has repeatedly asserted that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
With an endorsement from Donald Trump, Cox won the July 19, 2022 Republican primary for governor against Kelly Schulz with 52.0% of the vote, then lost the November 8 general election to Democrat Wes Moore. In 2023 he served as chief of staff to Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano. In 2024 he sought the Republican nomination in Maryland's 6th congressional district and lost the primary to Neil Parrott.
2026 race
Cox won the Republican primary for governor on June 23, 2026, defeating Hale, and faces Moore, who is seeking a second term, in the November 3 general election. The contest is Maryland's first gubernatorial rematch since 2010, and the winner will begin a four-year term on January 20, 2027.