MARYLAND — Yesterday, the Maryland Democratic Party held a press conference to hold Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox accountable for his statement that abortion should “never” be allowed, not even “in the case of preventing the death of the mother,” where Cox advises “other lifesaving measures should be sought.” If an abortion is the only way to save a woman’s life, such as when an ectopic pregnancy occurs, Cox’s position is that she should be forced to die.
Cox refused to answer questions regarding yesterday’s revelation. New reporting from WBAL noted that Cox’s statement was issued to a group the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as a hate group. Recent polling showed nearly 80 percent of Marylanders supporting a state constitutional amendment protecting the right to have an abortion.
“Dan Cox is the most extreme major party nominee in Maryland history and his position that a woman dealing with an ectopic pregnancy should be forced to undergo an impossible surgery rather than access life-saving care is further proof of that,” said Maryland Democratic Party spokesperson Ernest Bailey. “Cox’s callous and thoughtless position could not be further out of line with the vast majority of Marylanders.”
WBAL-TV: Maryland Democrats call Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox ‘dangerous’
The Maryland Democratic Party on Tuesday called the Republican nominee for governor “dangerous.”
The party painted Dan Cox as “anti-woman,” “oblivious” and “unhinged from reality.”
Democrats outnumber Republicans in Maryland 2-to-1 in voter registration. The latest polls in the race for governor show Democratic nominee Wes Moore is holding a similar margin over Cox.
“We are sounding the alarms as loud as we possibly can so that there is no mistake, so that this man is nowhere near the governor’s mansion,” said Yvette Lewis, chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
Lewis — along with two Democratic state delegates — called Cox’s anti-abortion rights stance so extreme that it’s disqualifying. The Democrats read from a Cox quote unearthed from an online candidate questionnaire he filled out during a failed 2016 congressional bid.
“He wanted to make it crystal clear that even when abortion is a medically necessary procedure, with life-or-death consequences, he would sentence a woman or a girl to death,” Lewis said. “He intends to punish those that he disagrees with by taking away basic rights.”
The voting guide is geared toward conservative Christians and part of the American Family Association, which is anti-LGBTQIA+ and a hate group as designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The Democrats’ message included a warning about steps Cox could take at the State House if he wins in November.
“He’s a zealot. He’s an extremist. So, he could stack our boards and commissions that regulate regulate health care, that regulate the practice of medicine. He has shown an intention of sending clinicians to jail. He’s already indicated he likes doing that,” said Montgomery County [Delegate] Ariana Kelly, D-District 16.
WBAL-TV 11 News spent much of Tuesday reaching out to the Maryland Republican Party and the Cox campaign for a response to these claims. While the campaign fielded WBAL-TV’s request, it has yet to respond.
WBAL-TV 11 is hosting a gubernatorial debate with Cox and Moore that will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The debate is a partnership between WBAL-TV, WBAL NewsRadio and Maryland Public Television. WBAL-TV’s Jason Newton will serve as moderator.