Ed Cox, son-in-law to late President Richard Nixon, appears to be moving closer to running for state GOP chairman in the fall, sources close to him said.
“County chairman and former McCain delegates have been calling on Ed Cox to take a much more aggressive stance with the state Republican Party, meaning run for chairman, and Ed has agreed to sound out other Republican leaders as a way of going for the position at the state convention,” said Bill Nojay, a Rochester-area delegate for John McCain last year who is close to Cox.
Cox, who was the state chairman for the McCain campaign last year, has been talked about for a variety of elected and unelected positions over the years. He briefly ran for U.S. Senate in 2005 and has been discussed as a potential gubernatorial candidate.
Cox is expected to become more active in asking county GOP chairman for their support in advance of a western New York GOP fundraiser in Livingston County in a few weeks.
Cox would be challenging current state GOP chairman Joseph Mondello, the Nassau County chairman, for the post. Mondello has indicated he plans to seek re-election at the party’s convention in September.
Cox referred calls to adviser Tom Basile, who said, “It’s something being considered. He has been approached by several party leaders as well current and prospective donors to the party to consider running for chairman.”
