Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate Andy Ellis Releases Statement on Dan Cox Announcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2, 2026
CONTACT: Andy Ellis andy@gogreen2026.com
BALTIMORE — A failed opposition party in a two-party system is a recipe for one-party rule. Maryland needs a multiparty system and new opposition parties.
Cox has announced he's entering the Republican primary for Governor. The same Dan Cox who lost by over 30 points to Democrat Wes Moore in 2022. Apparently, he is hell-bent on doing it again.
Cox's brand of MAGA extremism was toxic to Maryland voters four years ago. He organized buses to January 6. He accepted a gift from a Proud Boys member on video. His own Republican governor called him a "QAnon whack job." Nothing has changed.
Cox isn't a threat to win the election—but his policies are a threat to many Marylanders: abortion bans with no exceptions, election denial, attacks on public education, climate denial, the full Trump immigration agenda. Marylanders have watched this play out nationally and here at home. In 2022 Moore was a strong candidate and raised a lot of money (in part because of Cox), but a 32-point margin of defeat isn't just about him. Cox's ideas are unpopular. His campaign was poorly run and fractured the Republican party. However, the R next to his name was still the only thing that got him past 30%. It was a Democratic victory, but it was also a Republican collapse.
I'm used to Baltimore City, where Republicans are basically a third party. That's not healthy for democracy, even if you're a Democrat, and especially if you aren’t. One-party rule means politicians aren't accountable to voters. They're accountable to donors, party leaders, and national narratives.
Dan Cox is bringing that dynamic to the governor's race, for the second time in a row. If Republican primary voters and the party look at their options and say, "Let's go with the guy who already lost by 30," that tells you everything you need to know about the state of the Maryland GOP.
As we've been traveling around the state, we've noticed a few things that unite Marylanders. Let's go O's. A hope that this is the year for the Terps. And a recognition that Dan Cox is a joke. That was true in 2022, and it's even more true now.
The question for Maryland voters is simple: more of the same from both major parties, or something actually different, with more parties that represent more ?
I'm not running against Dan Cox. I'm running against a system that props up two parties that serve wealthy donors and corporate interests while working families struggle. Cox is a sideshow. The main event is building the movement for real change, and for a political system that represents the diversity of Maryland.
Nonetheless, if he's the Republican nominee, I look forward to seeing him on the debate stage in the fall.
In 2022 only Moore and Cox were on the stage for the televised Maryland Public Television debate, and it was bland, lopsided, and proof that Cox and the party he represented were not real opposition. In 2026 we are supporting HB 101, sponsored by Delegate Gary Simmons, to open up the debates and make sure Marylanders can hear from all the parties on the ballot. It is a crucial step if we want to move beyond the tired system we have today.
I invite Marylanders who are tired of choosing between corporate Democrats and MAGA Republicans to join a campaign that offers real representation and a system that actually works for you.
That is the Maryland we all deserve, that is what we are working for.
About the Ellis/Andrews Campaign
Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews are running for Governor and Lt. Governor on the Green Party ticket. Their campaign is seeking public financing and small donors—no corporate cash. They're running to prove that Maryland's democracy can work for everyone, not just the two parties that take turns. Get involved at gogreen2026.com.