The Frederick News-Post, Md., Political notes column

Oct. 30—Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox announced Monday that he is running to represent Maryland's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House.

In a video posted to Facebook on Monday, Cox said he is running for Congress to be "your voice of reason and courage" and "to put families ahead of special interests."

"We as a nation are facing challenges like few other times in American history," Cox said. "The decisions being made in the halls of Washington, D.C., will genuinely impact our individual freedom, our families, businesses, jobs and schools."

Cox referenced illegal border crossings, the fentanyl crisis, and the growing national debt in his announcement video. He invoked former Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, saying it was "past time that we must choose to put America first."

"We must not be intimidated by the voices that challenge our freedom birthright, but instead, we will lift a banner to which all may be drawn — the banner of freedom," Cox said.

In July, a statement was filed with the Federal Election Commission naming Cox as a candidate for the U.S. House seat. At the time, Cox said the filing was fraudulent and that he had reported it.

As of Monday evening, Cox had yet to file a new statement of candidacy with the FEC.

Prior to his run for Congress, Cox represented parts of Carroll and Frederick counties in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2019 to 2023. In 2016, Cox ran unsuccessfully to represent Maryland's 8th Congressional District.

Cox owns a law office in Emmitsburg and is currently representing Robert Krop, the co-owner of The Machine Gun Nest, in his criminal case stemming from allegations that he conspired with Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins to illegally obtain machine guns.

Democrat David Trone currently represents the 6th District. Instead of seeking re-election, he is running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Ben Cardin.

Besides Cox, five other candidates are seeking the Republican nomination in the 6th District. Of the six Republican candidates, four live in Frederick County.

Ten Democrats are running for the 6th District seat. Democrat Mia Mason of Frederick withdrew from the race last week, according to the Maryland Board of Elections.

Maryland's 6th District includes all of Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties and the northern part of Montgomery County.

The 2024 primary election will take place on May 14. The general election will be held on Nov. 5.

Frederick County Democrats host candidate meet-and-greet

The Frederick County Democratic Party and several local Democratic clubs on Saturday co-hosted a meet-and-greet with Democratic congressional candidates at the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ in Frederick.

Four candidates, all seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed Cardin in the U.S. Senate, attended the meet-and-greet on Saturday. They included:

— Trone

— Marcellus Crews, a technology business owner from Upper Marlboro in Prince George's County

— Brian Frydenborg, a freelance writer and political analyst from Silver Spring in Montgomery County

— Juan Dominguez, a retired U.S. Army officer who lives in Severna Park in Anne Arundel County

Two other candidates expected to participate in the meet-and-greet did not attend — Steven Henry Seuferer of Montgomery Village in Montgomery County and Andrew Jaye Wildman of Westminster in Carroll County.

Six Democrats, three Republicans and one independent candidate are currently running to represent Maryland in the Senate.

Maryland GOP holds training in Frederick

The Maryland Republican Party last week held a training at the Frederick Elks Lodge for people interested in campaigning for Republicans running to represent Maryland's 6th District in Congress.

According to Adam Wood, the executive director of the Maryland Republican Party, the event was held to educate candidates and volunteers about the rules surrounding elections in Maryland, including the use of mail-in ballots.

"The lay of the land is very different than it was during the last election cycle," Wood said in an interview on Monday.

Wood said more than 50 people participated in the training, including 6th District candidate Mariela Roca of Frederick and state Del. Jesse Pippy, the state delegation chair for Frederick County.

The training was led by Thomas Smithfield, a Republican National Committee staffer who focuses on state party strategies.