SAN DIEGO – Former US Senate candidate from Illinois John Cox is now the leading Republican candidate for governor in California. Cox- whose name was on Illinois' election ballots in 2000 in the 10th Congressional District, and 2002 statewide in bid for US Senate- was endorsed last week for governor of California by President Trump.
The latest polling shows Cox leading over Republican Congressman Travis Allen 51 to 32 percent. California's gubernatorial race is an open primary format next Tuesday. San Francisco Democrat Gavin Newsom is leading the polls over Republican candidates.
Cox was born and raised in the Chicago area and attended college and law school nearby before starting a law practice and real estate business in which he financially prospered. He established part-time residence in California in 2007, and full-time residency four years later.
While Cox was considering a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2004, the conservative publication IllinoisLeader.com did a three-part interview with him in November of 2003. Cox withdrew from the race before the March 2004 GOP primary that businessman Jack Ryan won. Three months before the General Election, Ryan withdrew from the race and the ultimate winner was Democrat Barack Obama.
A three-part interview with Cox in 2003 covered his background and his political views. The interviewer for the in-depth project first published at the now-defunct IllinoisLeader.com (owned by Dan Proft and Brian Timpone) on November 23, 24 and 25, 2003, was Illinois Review's co-founder and editor Fran Eaton. Permission was granted to Illinois Review for re-publication.
2003 Interview with John Cox: Part 1