Kirk Cox Announces Campaign for Governor
Kirk Cox, delegate from Chesterfield County, has officially joined the race for Virginia Governor, it was announced in a press release Tuesday morning:
Former Virginia House of Delegates Speaker and retired teacher Kirk Cox announced his campaign for Governor on Tuesday, bringing to the 2021 race a track record of conservative leadership, the proven ability to win where other Republicans cannot, and a clear vision for how to take back the Commonwealth and lead forward to the future.
“I am running for Governor because I cannot watch the Virginia we’ve built slip away. The timeless principles upon which our representative democracy were built are under attack, unchecked one-party Democratic control in Richmond is tearing our state apart, and people feel like their leaders are not listening,” said Cox. “We have to fight back against the cancel culture and the elitism, against misguided collectivist policies, and against a worldview that puts the government in charge of every facet of our lives.”
Cox added, “But we are not just fighting back for the sake of it. We are fighting back so we can lead forward out of this pandemic and a self-inflicted recession, lead forward to an economy where people can do more than just pay the bills, back to a place where problems are solved through dialogue and communication, and lead forward to a Virginia that is the best place to do business, where our kids leave school with an affordable degree or a valuable credential, and where people in government do what they say they’re going to do.”
The Kirk Cox for Governor campaign provided more background information:
Kirk Cox is a retired public school teacher, coach, and proven conservative winner. He holds the bluest seat of any Republican in the Virginia General Assembly, has a 30-year track record of defending and advancing conservative principles. Everyone who knows Kirk will tell you that he is passionate, caring, and dedicated to the Commonwealth of Virginia and its people. After a lifetime of fighting for Virginia, Kirk is not willing to let partisan politicians tear down everything we built. And as discouraging as things may look right now, he’s not willing to give up our future yet either. He’s running for Governor to fight back against liberal overreach and lead Virginia forward to the future we deserve.
Additional Background
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Kirk Cox represents the 66th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, which includes the City of Colonial Heights and part of Chesterfield County. He was first elected in 1989.
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Kirk served as Majority Whip, Majority Leader, and eventually Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. He won re-election in 2019 in a district Hillary Clinton carried by 5 points in 2016 and Tim Kaine carried by 14 points. (Source: vpap.org)
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Kirk is a strong fundraiser. He raised over $8.2 million from 2017 to 2019, breaking records for House Speakers. He also served as Vice Chair of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, raising money nationally to elect Republicans across the country. (vpap.org, vpap.org, vpap.org).
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During his time as Speaker, the General Assembly cut taxes by $1 billion, froze tuition at Virginia colleges and universities for the first time in 20 years, and passed legislation to cut unnecessary state regulations by 25 percent.
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Kirk is a retired classroom teacher. He spent 30 years teaching U.S. and Virginia government. He taught in Prince George County and Petersburg before spending most of his career at Manchester High School in Chesterfield.
The last time Republicans won statewide office was 2009 when Bob McDonnell became governor and Bill Bolling was voted in as Lieutenant Governor. Democrats have control of both state houses in the General Assembly as well as both U.S. Senate positions so Republicans will be working to put dents in those numbers during the 2021 election cycle.
Others who have expressed interest in the Republican nomination are State Senator Emmett Hanger (Augusta), former State Senator Bill Carrico (Grayson), businessman Pete Snyder, Sheriff Mike Chapman (Loudoun), and CEO of Carlyle Group Glenn Youngkin (Great Falls). The only declared candidate is State Senator Amanda Chase (Chesterfield).
