Kirk Cox

Marvin Kirkland Cox (born August 17, 1957) is an American politician and retired educator. A Republican and a former high school teacher, he has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 1990. He also served as the 55th Speaker of the House of Delegates.[1][2] Cox served as House Majority Leader from 2010 to 2018 and House Majority Whip from 2004 to 2010.

Kirk Cox
55th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office January 10, 2018 – January 8, 2020
Preceded by	Bill Howell
Succeeded by	Eileen Filler-Corn
Majority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office December 5, 2010 – January 10, 2018
Preceded by	Morgan Griffith
Succeeded by	Todd Gilbert
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 66th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 1990
Preceded by	Chip Dicks
Personal details
Born	Marvin Kirkland Cox August 17, 1957 Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Julie Kirkendall
Children	4
Education	Richard Bland College (AS) James Madison University (BS)
Signature
Website	kirkcox.com

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]

Early life and education

Born in Petersburg, Virginia, Cox graduated from Colonial Heights High School in 1975. After studying political science and social science at James Madison University, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in both fields of study in 1979.[5][6] He pledged with Theta Chi at James Madison University.[7] Cox received an Associate of Science (AS) in Life Science from the Richard Bland College at the College of William & Mary in 1981.[8]

Political career

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.[9]

In 2017, legislation successfully patroned 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 and Old Dominion University—and has since expanded to include the Virginia Community College System.[10]

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.[11]

On February 5, 2019, Cox helped the Virginia House of Delegates pass House Bill 2577 to lift the age cap for autism coverage, which helped approximately 10,000 people in Virginia get access to the healthcare they need. 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. 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.[12]

In June 2019, judges declared the House of Delegates' district map illegal due to racial gerrymandering, 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.[13]

In July 2019, Cox formally closed a special session on gun control after 1 hour and 30 minutes of deliberation between fellow delegates. Governor Ralph Northam called for the session after the shooting at Virginia Beach, and Cox adjourned the session with no actions taken.[14][15]

In the 2019 election, Cox was re-elected to a 16th term, but the Republicans lost their majority. He relinquished the role of Speaker to Democrat Eileen Filler-Corn on January 8, 2020.[16]

On November 17, 2020, Cox announced his campaign for the Governor of Virginia in 2021.[4]

Personal life

Cox and his wife Julie reside in Colonial Heights, Virginia. They have four sons: Lane, Carter, Blake, and Cameron. Cox taught government at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County until his retirement in 2012.

Electoral history

Date	Election	Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Virginia House of Delegates, 66th district
Nov 7, 1989[17]	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
Nov 5, 1991[17]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	10,273	67.58
		Jay T. Leverett	Democratic	4,919	32.36
		Write Ins		9	0.06
Nov 2, 1993[17]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	19,876	99.73
		Write Ins		53	0.27
Nov 7, 1995[18]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	11,771	82.12
		Gregory R. Rasnake	Democratic	2,554	17.82
		Write Ins		9	0.06
Nov 4, 1997[19]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	20,827	98.74
		Write Ins		265	1.26
Nov 2, 1999[20]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	11,260	98.69
		Write Ins		150	1.31
Nov 6, 2001[21]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	19,077	98.29
		Write Ins		331	1.71
Nov 4, 2003[22]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	10,896	97.76
		Write Ins		250	2.24
Nov 8, 2005[23]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	21,205	96.87
		Write Ins		685	3.13
Nov 6, 2007[24]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	11,049	97.51
		Write Ins		281	2.48
Nov 3, 2009[25]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	21,428	97.02
		Write Ins		657	2.97
Nov 8, 2011[26]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	10,681	96.32
		Write Ins		407	3.67
Nov 5, 2013[27]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	20,224	94.69
		Write Ins		1,135	5.31
Nov 3, 2015[28]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	12,683	96.43
		Write Ins		469	3.57
Nov 7, 2017[29]	General	M. Kirkland Cox	Republican	18,572	63.45
		Katie A. Sponsler	Democratic	10,656	36.41
		Write Ins		40	0.14
Nov 5, 2019[30]	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

Notes

1. Report, Contributed. "Delegate Kirk Cox elected as the next Speaker of the House". The Progress. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
2. "Va. House Speaker William Howell, a pragmatic Republican, will not run again". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
3. "Ex-House Speaker files papers to run for Governor," Virginia Lawyers Weekly Oct. 12, 2020 p. 5
4. Times-Dispatch, MEL LEONOR Richmond. "Cox formally announces run for governor, pledging to fight 'big-government worldview'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
5. "Bio: Kirk Cox". Vote Smart. December 31, 2019.
6. "Meet Kirk Cox". Kirk Cox.
7. "Rinaldi's Run". Theta Chi. November 2, 2015.
8. "Awards of Distinction Recipients". Richard Bland College. "After graduating from Richard Bland College of William & Mary in 1981, Delegate Kirk Cox earned his BS degree from James Madison University."
9. Times-Dispatch, GRAHAM MOOMAW Richmond. "Kirk Cox elected Va. House speaker as Republicans take 51-49 majority into session's first day". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
10. WFXR, Evanne Armour Richmond. "New Virginia web portal streamlines online college course offerings". WFXR Fox. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
11. Times-Dispatch, GRAHAM MOOMAW Richmond. "Kirk Cox elected speaker of the House on 98-0 vote". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
12. "Virginia House of Delegates passes bill to lift age cap for autism health coverage". WTKR. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
13. Vozzella, Laura (August 4, 2019). "In Virginia, redrawn districts test Republicans — including House Speaker Kirk Cox". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
14. Ponton, Brendan (July 10, 2019). "Virginia special session on gun violence ends abruptly for now with no action". WTKR. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
15. Schneider, Gregory S. (June 5, 2019). "Gov. Ralph Northam will convene special session of Virginia legislature to take up gun control". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
16. "Eileen Filler-Corn is the first woman to be nominated for Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates". 8News. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
17. "The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776-2008". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
18. "1995 Election Results - HOD". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
19. "1997 Election Results - HOD". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
20. "Election Results - House of Delegates - Nov 1999 Gen Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
21. "General Election- November 6, 2001". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
22. "General Election- November 4, 2003". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
23. "General Election- November 8, 2005". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
24. "November 6, 2007 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
25. "November 2009 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
26. "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
27. "Virginia Elections Database » 2013 House of Delegates General Election District 66". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
28. "Virginia Elections Database » 2015 House of Delegates General Election District 66". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
29. "2017 November General". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
30. "2019 November General". Retrieved Aug 25, 2020.

External links

• Media related to Kirk Cox at Wikimedia Commons
• "Kirk Cox". Friends of Kirk Cox. (Official website)
• "Kirk Cox". Virginia Public Access Project. (campaign finance)
• "Delegate Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights)". Richmond Sunlight.
• "Election Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2013-04-29.