This article was updated July 6 at 1:31 p.m. to include information about the Democratic candidates vying for the District 6 congressional seat.
Someone filed official paperwork entering former Del. Dan Cox (R) into the race for the 6th District congressional seat—and Cox says it wasn’t him.
The statement of candidacy was filed with the Federal Election Committee on Monday, listing Cox’s name, campaign committee, FEC identification number and e-signature.
The Hill reported Monday that Cox filed for the congressional race, citing the FEC paperwork. Cox has since requested the story be retracted, calling it “fake” and reiterating on Twitter that he did not file the paperwork.
“Unfortunately it’s fake news. I did not file,” he tweeted. “Someone forged my name and we’ve reported it.”
By Tuesday morning, The Hill had revised its article and headline to frame the FEC filing as a potential fraud.
FEC spokesperson Myles Martin told MoCo360 the press office is unable to comment on specific filings. However, he pointed to an FEC policy adopted in 2016 to address potentially false or fictitious filings—a policy later made permanent in an updated procedures manual.
“The policy notes that a verification letter will be sent to candidates for clarification of information provided on their Statement of Candidacy that appears to disclose certain information, including the possible unauthorized use of the name of another person,” Martin wrote. “As noted in the procedures manual (see Footnote 17), this includes situations in which the Commission receives a complaint from an individual or entity concerning an unauthorized filing by a third party using the individual’s or entity’s name.”
Last year, Wes Moore (D) defeated Cox in the Maryland gubernatorial race, winning 64.7%[AO1] of all votes. At the time, Cox was endorsed by former Republican President Donald Trump but failed to receive the support of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a fellow Republican, who called Cox a “big loss for the Republican Party” after Cox won the GOP primary nomination.
Freshman Del. Joe Vogel (D-Dist. 17) is also competing for the Maryland District 6 congressional seat, filing with the FEC just hours after its current inhabitant, Rep. David Trone (D), announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate. Vogel issued a statement Tuesday regarding “QAnon Whack Job” Cox’s apparent entrance into the congressional race.
“Marylanders overwhelmingly rejected Dan Cox at the ballot box in 2016 and in 2022 — and they will again in 2024. His extremism is completely out of step with the voters of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District,” Vogel’s statement reads. “We’ll hold Dan accountable on this campaign for his lies about the 2020 election, ties to the Proud Boys, embrace of QAnon, participation in the January 6th insurrection, and his support for abortion bans.”
Representatives for the Cox campaign could not immediately be reached for comment on the FEC filing. Cox is far from the only Republican candidate who would be vying for the District 6 seat. Del. Neil Parrott (R-2A) filed with the FEC and has formed an exploratory committee for his third attempt at securing the seat, but he has yet to officially announce a campaign. Parrott ran for the same seat in 2020 and 2022, both times losing to Trone. Other notable District 6 Republican candidates include Air Force veteran Mariela Roca, former Maryland State Trooper Chris Hyser and grocery store clerk Todd Puglisi.
In addition to Vogel, two other Democratic candidates have also filed with the FEC signaling their interest in the congressional seat — Del. Lesley Lopez (Dist. 39) and former state legislative aide Destiny Drake West. In addition, both economist Stephen McDow and former public school teacher George Gluck have indicated their intent to run for the seat by filing with the state Board of Elections, but have not yet filed with the FEC.