Kirk Cox | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | |||||||||||||||
| 55thSpeaker of the Virginia House of Delegates | |||||||||||||||
| In office January 10, 2018 – January 8, 2020 | |||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bill Howell | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Eileen Filler-Corn | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the66th district | |||||||||||||||
| In office January 10, 1990 – January 12, 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Chip Dicks | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mike Cherry | ||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Marvin Kirkland Cox (1957-08-17)August 17, 1957 (age 68) Petersburg, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Party | Republican | ||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Julie Kirkendall | ||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Education | Richard Bland College (AS) James Madison University (BS) | ||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||
| Website | Campaign website | ||||||||||||||
Marvin Kirkland Cox (born August 17, 1957) is an American retired politician and educator. ARepublican and a former high school teacher, he served in theVirginia House of Delegates from 1990 to 2022, representing the66th District. From 2018 to 2020, he served as the 55thSpeaker of the House of Delegates.[1][2] Cox served as House Majority Leader from 2010 to 2018 andHouse Majority Whip from 2004 to 2010.
In October 2020, Cox filed papers to establish a campaign committee preparing to seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Virginia, but said he would not formally announce until after the November presidential election.[3] On November 17, 2020, Cox formally launched his campaign for governor.[4] On May 11, 2021, he conceded toGlenn Youngkin, after finishing fourth in the Republican convention held on May 8, 2021.[5][6]
Born inPetersburg, Virginia, Cox graduated fromColonial Heights High School in 1975. After studyingpolitical science andsocial science atJames Madison University, he graduated with aBachelor of Science (BS) in both fields of study in 1979.[7][8] He pledged withTheta Chi at James Madison University.[9] Cox received anAssociate of Science (AS) in Life Science from theRichard Bland College at theCollege of William & Mary in 1981.[10]
Kirk Cox was first elected from the 66th District to the House of Delegates in 1989. The 66th House District includes all of Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield County.[11]
In 2017, legislation championed by Cox resulted in the establishment of the Online Virginia Network (OVN). OVN is an online consortium that offers degrees in high demand fields from Virginia public universities. The program began with two universities participating—George Mason University andOld Dominion University—and has since expanded to include theVirginia Community College System.[12]
On January 10, 2018, Cox was unanimously elected as Speaker of the House by the members of the House of Delegates. Upon being sworn in, he became the first Speaker in state history from Colonial Heights, the first Speaker to represent a portion of Chesterfield County since the 1800s, and the first Speaker whose profession was that of a public school teacher.[13]
On February 5, 2019, Cox helped the Virginia House of Delegates pass House Bill 2577 to lift the age cap for autism coverage. Upon passage of the bill, Cox said, "Many of these children are not diagnosed until they are already six or seven years of age and need access to important care for longer than just three or four years." WTKR reported that "no other prevalent health condition—including asthma, diabetes and cancer—has coverage limits that are imposed based on the patient's age. Coverage for all other health conditions is based on medical necessity."[14]
In June 2019, judges declared the House of Delegates' district map illegal due to racialgerrymandering, and imposed a new map. Republican members of the House of Delegates drew the old map in 2011. Cox has opposed the court's ruling, conceding that the map had been drawn to gain political advantage, but not to suppress voters based on race.District 66, represented by Cox, is among the districts that underwent substantial redistricting.[15] The district—as currently drawn—voted forBarack Obama in 2012,Hillary Clinton in 2016, andJoe Biden in 2020; Cox was reelected in 2019.[16]
In July 2019, Cox formally closed a special session on gun control after 1 hour and 30 minutes of deliberation between fellow delegates. GovernorRalph Northam called for the session after theshooting at Virginia Beach, and Cox adjourned the session with no actions taken.[17][18]
In the2019 election, Cox was re-elected to a 16th term, but the Republicans lost their majority, making it the first time since 1997 Democrats won the House of Delegates. He relinquished the role of Speaker to DemocratEileen Filler-Corn on January 8, 2020.[19]
On November 17, 2020, Cox announced his campaign forGovernor of Virginia in2021.[4] Since announcing his run for governor, Cox has not held back from publicly criticizing Governor Ralph Northam on countless topics, the biggest being Northam's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and sending kids back to school.[20] While Cox has accepted the validity of President Joe Biden's victory in the2020 presidential election, he has shown sympathy for former presidentDonald Trump's claim that theelection was stolen.[21]
On May 8, 2021, Cox was defeated in the Republican convention, coming in fourth place in a seven-candidate field; he was eliminated in the fourth round ofranked-choice voting, with 14% of the vote.[22]
Cox and his wife Julie reside inColonial Heights, Virginia. They have four sons: Lane, Carter, Blake, and Cameron. Cox taught government atManchester High School in Chesterfield County until his retirement in 2012.[23]
| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia House of Delegates, 66th district | |||||
| November 7, 1989[24] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 10,460 | 52.47 |
| John G. Dicks, III | Democratic | 9,468 | 47.49 | ||
| Write Ins | 8 | 0.04 | |||
| Incumbent lost; seat switched from Democratic to Republican | |||||
| November 5, 1991[24] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 10,273 | 67.58 |
| Jay T. Leverett | Democratic | 4,919 | 32.36 | ||
| Write Ins | 9 | 0.06 | |||
| November 2, 1993[24] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 19,876 | 99.73 |
| Write Ins | 53 | 0.27 | |||
| November 7, 1995[25] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 11,771 | 82.12 |
| Gregory R. Rasnake | Democratic | 2,554 | 17.82 | ||
| Write Ins | 9 | 0.06 | |||
| November 4, 1997[26] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 20,827 | 98.74 |
| Write Ins | 265 | 1.26 | |||
| November 2, 1999[27] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 11,260 | 98.69 |
| Write Ins | 150 | 1.31 | |||
| November 6, 2001[28] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 19,077 | 98.29 |
| Write Ins | 331 | 1.71 | |||
| November 4, 2003[29] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 10,896 | 97.76 |
| Write Ins | 250 | 2.24 | |||
| November 8, 2005[30] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 21,205 | 96.87 |
| Write Ins | 685 | 3.13 | |||
| November 6, 2007[31] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 11,049 | 97.51 |
| Write Ins | 281 | 2.48 | |||
| November 3, 2009[32] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 21,428 | 97.02 |
| Write Ins | 657 | 2.97 | |||
| November 8, 2011[33] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 10,681 | 96.32 |
| Write Ins | 407 | 3.67 | |||
| November 5, 2013[34] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 20,224 | 94.69 |
| Write Ins | 1,135 | 5.31 | |||
| November 3, 2015[35] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 12,683 | 96.43 |
| Write Ins | 469 | 3.57 | |||
| November 7, 2017[36] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 18,572 | 63.45 |
| Katie A. Sponsler | Democratic | 10,656 | 36.41 | ||
| Write Ins | 40 | 0.14 | |||
| November 5, 2019[37] | General | M. Kirkland Cox | Republican | 14,443 | 51.71 |
| Sheila C. Bynum-Coleman | Democratic | 13,140 | 47.05 | ||
| L. K. Harris, Sr. | Independent | 342 | 1.22 | ||
| Write Ins | 4 | 0.01 | |||
...only Del. Kirk Cox (Colonial Heights) will say President Biden was legitimately elected. And even he gives a wink to Trump's claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election.
Media related toKirk Cox at Wikimedia Commons| Virginia House of Delegates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the66th district 1990–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Majority Leader of theVirginia House of Delegates 2010–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates 2018–2020 | Succeeded by |
