Dan Cox is a far-right Republican former state delegate running for Maryland governor for the second time after losing resoundingly to Wes Moore in 2022 by 32.4 percentage points (Moore 64.5%, Cox 32.1%). Cox served in the Maryland House of Delegates representing the 4th District (Carroll and Frederick counties) from 2019 to 2023. He is characterized as an election denier who has continuously espoused the disproven theory that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was fraudulent. Cox is running as a conservative focused on fiscal restraint, border security, and opposing federal government overreach. However, he enters the 2026 race as a largely discredited candidate within Maryland Republican circles, having faced rejection from the party establishment and performed poorly in his 2024 congressional primary.
Dan Cox was born August 9, 1974, in Washington, D.C., and is the son of ten children. His father was a minister who founded Wellspring Christian Family Schools, a faith-based homeschool organization. Cox grew up on a farm near Taneytown, Maryland, and was homeschooled at Wellspring. He received a law degree and worked as an attorney and constitutional lawyer before entering politics. Cox served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2019-2023, representing Carroll and Frederick counties (4th District). He became a prominent figure in the Maryland Freedom Caucus and was a vocal supporter of Trump. In 2024, Cox was arrested on charges related to his conduct at January 6, 2021. Cox is a father of ten children and operates a machine gun range (The Machine Gun Nest). He is running for governor for the second time in 2026 with Rob Krop, owner of The Machine Gun Nest, as his running mate for lieutenant governor.