John Cox Enters CA Governor's Race With Ad That Slams Rivals

CALIFORNIA — Republican businessman John Cox announced his second campaign for California governor Monday in a video that condemns his political opponents and vows to lower housing costs and restore jobs for Californians.

Cox, 65, brands himself as a businessman and "not a politician" in his second run for the seat. Cox lost to Newsom in the deep blue state in 2018 with 38 percent of the vote.

Cox's new campaign video decried his opponents — former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and incumbent Newsom — as "corrupt politicians." The video slaps a "deliberate fraud" label on Faulconer and points to Newsom's outing at French Laundry with a large party in the middle of the pandemic last year.

"Gavin Newsom said 'stay home' then dined with lobbyists at a restaurant where the wine tab was $12,000," the campaign video said.

The ad also targets Faulconer for persuading the San Diego City Council to approve a $127 million lease-to-own deal for a 19-story office building that was originally said to be in good condition.
It turned out that the building at 101 Ash Street was rendered "functionally obsolete" by its former inhabitants, Seifert and Sempra Energy, and needed asbestos removal and seismic retrofits, among other issues, NBC San Diego reported.

Republican candidate Faulconer, 54, announced his run for governor last week.

READ MORE: Kevin Faulconer Announces Run For California Governor

"California's problems are because of corrupt politicians like Gavin Newsom and Kevin Faulconer," Cox said in a separate video posted to his campaign website.

Cox has criticized Newsom for his coronavirus blueprint and stay-at-home orders for their effect on businesses.

"There's very little in the way in the way of science and information that's been transmitted to us as to whether small businesses and restaurants are really causing this increase in transmission," Cox told KUSI News in November. "Small business ... is really the one paying the price for this."

The Centers For Disease Control has identified on-site dining inside of a restaurant without spacing tables 6 feet apart as one of the highest risks for transmitting COVID-19. On-site dining limited to outdoor seating was listed as less risky than indoor dining, with takeout and delivery service considered to be the lowest risk.

Cox added that he had "this disease" and acknowledged the seriousness of the spreading of coronavirus.

Cox ran for the U.S. House once and for the U.S. Senate in Illinois twice but was unsuccessful in each bid, according to multiple reports. He will join the race for Newsom's seat against Faulconer.

Meanwhile, more than 1.4 million signatures have been collected in an effort to recall Newsom. Organizers for the effort have until mid-March to get the 1.5 million signatures needed to put the recall on the ballot.

The recall effort kicked off before the pandemic severely affected Californians but gained quite a bit of momentum after Newsom's French Laundry soiree, severe problems with the state's unemployment agency and a sluggish vaccine rollout.

Watch John Cox' new campaign advertisement below.

READ MORE: Recalling A California Governor, Explained

This article originally appeared on the Across California Patch