Ed Cox is considering a run for his old job.

Cox, the former New York state GOP chair from 2009 to 2019, told Capital Tonight, “I’m talking to Republican leaders around the state and I have nothing to add at this point.” 

News leaked out Wednesday afternoon that Cox might be interested in the job he held for 10 years when Rockland County GOP Chair (and previously announced state chair candidate) Lawrence Garvey issued a press release endorsing Cox.

“Before I launched my campaign for State Chair, I told Chairman Ed Cox that if he ran, I would be the first to endorse him. So today, I endorse Ed Cox for NYGOP Chair," Garvey said in a statement. "Under Ed's leadership, our Party raised millions of dollars and competed vigorously across the Empire State. In 2010 under Chairman Cox we won 8 Congressional races, flipping 6 seats from blue to red and Harry Wilson came within 5 points of winning statewide. Since then, he has remained an activist and leader of our Party. Because of his leadership in redistricting, we had a red wave in New York last year.

"I got into this race because of my record of raising money and winning in a blue county where we are outnumbered 2-1. I believe Ed Cox has the skills and experience to be successful and finish the job -- a Republican win statewide. Ed Cox should be our next Party Leader. He can do it, because he's done it."

Capital Tonight is in the process of calling all the other announced candidates who are in the running to replace now-U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy. 

State Assemblyman Chris Tague said he’s absolutely staying in the race.

“It’s time for new blood,” he said. 

A spokesperson for former state attorney general candidate Michael Henry said he, too, is staying in the race.   

Fulton County GOP Chair Sue McNeil is staying in the race, but told Capital Tonight she would appoint Cox “fundraising chair” because he’s a good fundraiser.

John Sarcone, who also ran for attorney general last year, but dropped out before the primary, said he’s still running until he hears directly from Cox. Otherwise he “fully intends to be elected chair." 

Putnam County Republican Chair Anthony Scannapieco told Capital Tonight that he is contemplating not running if Cox enters the race, but has not made a final decision.

According to Taylor Weyeneth, spokesman for former Assemblyman and congressional candidate Colin Schmitt, “Assemblyman Colin Schmitt fully stands with Chairman Ed Cox as he returns as State GOP chairman and looks forward to continuing their long standing friendship amid efforts to save our state.”

Earlier this year, Cox told Capital Tonight he was fine no longer being chairman of the state Republican Party because he was enjoying his behind-the-scenes role.

Cox, along with the state Republican Party and allies including former U.S. Rep. John Faso, successfully launched a legal challenge against the Democratic attempts to implement newly redistricted congressional lines. 

“I really enjoyed what I was doing here,” Cox said. “I could focus totally on the redistricting part, which was perhaps the most important part of what we did. A political legal theory which I was absolutely suited for.”

Additionally, Cox spent the latter part of the midterm election cycle raising money from cosmetics titan Ronald Lauder to help elect Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. 

“We did an I.E. for him,” Cox said, referring to an independent expenditure committee which helped raise $17 million. “In the last six weeks, that put a little bit of lift under his [Zeldin’s] very good wings.”

Cox has been active in Republican Party politics for decades. As Richard Nixon’s son-in-law, he joined the family business prior to 1968. Here in New York, Cox helped elect former Gov. George Pataki in 1994. In 2009, he was himself elected to serve as chairman of the New York State Republican Committee. But after electoral losses in 2018, he stepped down, making way for Nick Langworthy to take over the job as chairman, while Cox pivoted to Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. 

Now that Langworthy has been elected to Congress, the party chairman position is once again open.