Friday, February 01, 2008

John Cox Pays $1257.38 Per Vote in South Carolina

In what is surely a sign that he should be packing it in and heading back to Chicago (if he hasn’t already) fringe Republican candidate for president John Cox received just 83 votes in the South Carolina Primary on Jan. 19, according to the official results.

Bear in mind, former candidate Tom Tancredo was able to pull out 121 votes EVEN AFTER LEAVING THE RACE. Another vanity candidate, Hugh Cort, beat Cox by getting 88 votes. But Cox beat Cap Fendig, a county commissioner from Georgia who got 23 votes.

Uh... Congratulations?

Final expenditures for South Carolina, reported in Cox’s end-of-year FEC report, show that he spent $104,362.90 there. Meaning that each vote cost over $1257.

That’s worse than in New Hampshire, where he cut his campaign short late last year and closed up his long-vacant office. He spent $44,271.05 in the Granite State, and got 40 votes for his trouble - or $1,107 per vote.

Iowa’s expenditure of $101,183 went entirely to waste, since there is no evidence that he received ANY votes in the Iowa Caucus. It’s believed that Iowa GOP officials didn’t even bother to list Cox on the ballot, assuming correctly that he had no support, given his last place finish in the Straw Poll earlier that year (41 votes, or one tenth of one percent.)

Cox has now spent just over a million dollars on his campaign since he started running in Feb. 2006. He’s raised only $22K from gullible voters in that same time.

The final tally of the Cox campaign:
Total cash on hand, 12/31/07: $1.,654.27
Total donations, 10/1-12/31/07: $226 (sic) two hundred twenty-six bucks
Loaned from candidate in that period: $30,000
Total loaned to himself since 2/8/2006: $1,055,000
Total spent on his campaign: $1,080,124
Total in Iowa: $101,182
Total in NH: $44,271
Total in SC: $104,363

Biggest disbursements in last period of 2007:
$1,500 to a PR firm in Chicago, IL (can anyone resurrect this guy's image at this point?)
$281 to an ice company in Iowa for.. ice, on 10/31/07 (if was dry ice, maybe it was for a haunted house? Surely not a victory party.)

Oddest disbursement:
A donation of $500 by Cox to "Aging Citizens, Inc." on 10/30/07. Googling this group shows zero results, an the location was not revealed on FEC reports, which is bound to land Cox with yet another warning letter from the federal agency seeking more information, and perhaps an investigation as to why his meager fundraising dollars are being wasted on donations to (what one would hope are) a non-profit group.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Who Beat John Cox in New Hampshire?

What does a guy with a boot on his head, a fugitive and someone who spent just $1,000 on his campaign, and a man who was told by an angel to run for president have in common? They all beat John Cox in the New Hampshire Primary Tuesday!

Republican fringe candidate John Cox, who spent more than a million dollars over 21 months running for president received just 40 votes in New Hampshire’s First-in-The-Nation Primary Tuesday, Jan. 8.

He was, of course, beaten by John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul, all of whom spent millions in the state to attract votes.

But he was also beaten by many fellow "fringe" candidates, as well as others not so fringe.
Cox was beaten by "write-ins." Yes, nearly 5,000 people wrote in a name not on the ballot, and it wasn’t John Cox.

Fred Thompson, who barely campaigned in New Hampshire, got 2,884 votes. Duncan Hunter, who ran a horrible campaign and showed up only a few times, got 1,220.

With all 301 precincts reporting, Cox, who came to the state nearly two dozen times, got just 40 votes.

Alan Keyes, who threw his hat in the ring at the last minute, got more: 220 votes.

Stephen Marchuk, a - local NH guy who spent exactly $1000 - his filing fee, got 120 votes.

Jack Shepard, a fugitive living in Rome, Italy wanted for questioning in an arson investigation, beat John Cox with 120 votes.

Tom Tancredo, who dropped out after Iowa, still got 68 votes.

Hugh Cort, a man who was being managed by a former Cox staffer, and who was exactly like John Cox, only more religious and instead of being obsessed with the economy, is obsessed with nuclear terrorism, beat John Cox, by getting 43 votes.

Albert Howard, who said on his blog that, "The Angel of the Lord told me in January of 1992 that Hillary Rodham Clinton and I would meet and be running against each other and that she would lose," beat John Cox by getting 43 votes.

Cornelius O’Connor, a complete unknown, got 41 votes.

Vermin Supreme, who wears a boot on his head and ran for reasons of satire, beat John Cox. He got 41 votes.

Cox, who did not receive ANY votes in the Iowa caucus, spent an average of more than $25,000 per vote in New Hampshire.

We are forced by reality to look back on this as a complete failure for the potato chip man from Chicago, who told the Chicago Tribune in December that it was "pointless" to continue running.

=========

McCain , John GOP 88,447 37%
Romney , Mitt GOP 75,202 31%
Huckabee , Mike GOP 26,760 11%
Giuliani , Rudy GOP 20,387 9%
Paul , Ron GOP 18,276 8%
Total Write-ins GOP 4,908 2%
Thompson , Fred GOP 2,884 1%
Hunter , Duncan GOP 1,220 1%
Keyes , Alan GOP 220 0%
Marchuk , Stephen GOP 120 0% - local NH guy who spent exactly $1000 - his filing fee.
Shepard , Jack GOP 75 0% - a fugitive living in Rome, Italy wanted for questioning in an arson investigation.
Tancredo , Tom GOP 68 0%
Cort , Hugh GOP 43 0% - Exactly like John Cox, only more religious and instead of being obsessed with the economy, is obsessed with nuclear terrorism.
Howard , Albert GOP 43 0% - "The Angel of the Lord told me in January of 1992 that Hillary Rodham Clinton and I would meet and be running against each other and that she would lose" (The angel was wrong.)
O'Connor , Cornelius GOP 41 0% - totally unknown.
Supreme , Vermin GOP 41 0% - A man who wears a boot on his head. I kid you not.
Cox , John GOP 40 0%
Wuensche , Vern GOP 39 0% - 62-year-old kitchen and bath renovation guy from Texas.
Gilbert , Daniel GOP 33 0%
Mitchell , James GOP 30 0%
Klein , Mark GOP 19 0% - Wants to be "America’s Shrink"
Fendig , Neal GOP 13 0% - County commissioner from Florida.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Live Blogging: Cox Being Thrashed in NH

Fringe candidate John Cox is being thrashed in New Hampshire's primary - by other Fringe Candidates.

Alan Keyes, Daniel Gilbert, Hugh Cort, various other no-names, and even former candidate Tom Tancredo who dropped out of the race, were all beating Cox as of 11:35 p.m. ET. Tuesday.

This has got to be discouraging to Cox, who was in the state over 15 times and spent a million dollars total on this race there and in Iowa. After getting ZERO votes in Iowa, these results must irk him.

Of course, he's now out of the race, having told the Chicago Tribune it was "pointless" to continue running. Good move, John.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Cox Told Tribune (on Dec 20) "It's a Lost Cause"

From Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune's end-of-year column "Catching up with early departures":

A local story that got considerably less attention this year was the quixotic bid for the presidency by Chicago businessman John Cox.

Cox began campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire in early 2006, visiting both states dozens of times and spending at least $1 million of his own money trying to become a contender in the crowded Republican primary field.

When I interviewed him for a column in August shortly after he finished 11th out of 11 candidates in an Iowa straw poll, Cox vowed to "stick it out" through the early caucuses and primaries.

But when I called him for an update Wednesday he said he'd closed his campaign offices late last month after having been excluded from yet another Republican debate."What's the point anymore?" he asked. "I always knew it was a long shot. But when the media made their decision not to include me, I figured it was a total lost cause."

Well, the fact is, Cox stopped paying for his New Hampshire office around October (and it had been vacant since March, 2007. It's now the Kucinich H.Q.) and his Iowa and South Carollina staffs had abandoned him already by early 2007.

So he ends his campaign on a lie. One more in a long train of lies his campaign was based upon.
Cox Wins Zero Votes In Iowa

Did fringe Presidential candidate John Cox win EVEN ONE voter over during the Iowa Caucus on January 3?

No. Not according to the Republican Party of Iowa's Website) and the New York Times report on the results.

Even FORMER presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, who dropped out on Dec. 20, 2007, received a smattering of 5 votes throughout the state.

I think we can safely say: IT'S OVER FOR JOHN COX.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Cox Campaign: An Internal Server Error

In yet another sign that the John Cox for president campaign has gone "kerplunk" in the forest and no one has yet heard it, or cares, the Cox website at http://www.cox2008.com/ has reportedly flickered on and off, then off permanently (hat tip: Politizine).

UPDATE: The site went back online a few days later. His campaign remains utterly invisible to the voting public, however.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

John Cox is Out of the Race. Or not.

On October 27, 2007, Cox all but conceded defeat during the annual Reagan Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa, saying he would return to Chicago to start a PAC to promote "non-career politicians".

The Baltimore Sun blog said:
"Meanwhile, Chicago businessman John Cox, a little-regarded long-shot candidate who has run but failed in bids for local office, used his time before the audience to concede defeat in the contest. Blaming the national media for giving him scant attention, Cox said, "I've been doubting my own existence in the last few months" and he assessed his chances as being "about as strong as the Cubs chances of winning the World Series." He said he would soon return home and start a political action committee to promote non-career politicians."

The Huffington Post reported it about the same way:
"One of the most talked about moments of the evening came during an address by Chicago businessman John Cox, who all but conceded defeat in the caucuses. Cox has been unable to gain any significant support in the state, and joked with the crowd that he has about as much of a chance to win the presidency next year as the Chicago Cubs have of winning the World Series. He blamed the national media for ignoring his campaign and said that he plans to return to Chicago and start a political action committee."

But Cox says it was all a joke. Sort of.

The next day, Cox told the Rocky Mountain News that he was "not out of the race," giving his usual bitter rant against the national media, and again, conceding defeat.

"No, I'm not out of the race. I'm not technically out of the race. I've got a few opportunities to get a message across. But it's a realization that I'm not going to win."

(Huh?)

"I've put and invested a million and a half dollars and 18 months in this effort, and to be cast aside by the national media as not worthy of their publicity machine, that's sad for democracy."

The problem, of course, is that Cox got plenty of media attention. He just squandered it all by using almost every media opportunity to rant against the media rather than present a positive, Reaganesque vision to America. Frankly, no one believes he has such a positive vision in him. And for someone who sued the South Carolina GOP and threatened the job of the New Hampshire state GOP Chairman if he didn't get Cox into debates in these two stats (and remember he wanted a Federal judge to shut down the SC debate if he wasn't included) speaking about "democracy" is quite odd.

On Nov. 12, the Des Moines Register published yet another bitter, nasty and vengeful anti-media letter to the editor.

He has paid ballot fees and will appear on ballots in New Hampshire, South Carolina, California, and several other states, and he can also be included in non-fee caucus states such as Iowa and Nevada.

A Washington Secretary of State spokeswoman said ambiguously that Cox had "withdrawn" from that state's primary after he had sought inclusion on the state ballot; he has failed to make the ballot in a large number of primary states, such as West Virginia.

Whether he’s out or in has become a topic of discussion on his Wikipedia page, but it’s not at all clear that it matters at this point in the scheme of things. Though it does matter to those poor suckers who see his name or hear him ranting and end up throwing away their vote on him.

To waste a vote on Cox during this very important primary election season is a shame, and that’s why this blog exists - to get the word out that John H. Cox is a fraudulent, fringe candidate, not worth your attention.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Cox Raises $8,385 in Third Quarter, Spends $12,480

The Third Quarter fundraising and expenditure numbers are out for John Cox's fringe presidential campaign, and it doesn't look good. (read the full PDF here.)

The bad news is that Cox is still and ultra-fringe candidate with little public support.

The good news is.... um... well, he raised more than he did in the last quarter, $1,410.

Cox raised $8,385 from individuals, and loaned himself another $90,000.

He ends the reporting period (10/15) with just $1,963.63 on hand, truly a shameful figure for a presidential campaign. But then again, we have to remember that it's really an ego trip, not really a campaign at all.

Here's some breakdowns of his fundraising for this quarter, which came from a grand total of 21 contributors:
Raised in June: $50
Raised in July: $5,735
Raised in August: $2,375
Raised in Sept: $225

Some facts about these donors:
  • Most are retirees (his campaign seems to feed off retirees who think he's a legitimate candidate, or feel sorry for him)
  • 11 (half) are from Illinois.
  • Two gave the "max", $2300. One was a pathologist from Illinois, the other was an attorney from Illinois.
  • The lowest contribution was for $5, from a Chicago retiree.
  • The head of the Chicago PR firm Cox hired to gin up some excitement about his flagging campaign pitched in $1,000.
  • A Cox relative (named Cox) from Florida gave him one of the two $1,000 donations. He also received a $500 and a $25 donation from Florida. It's unclear if these are from relatives too.
Early state round-up:
Total raised in first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa: $10 (yes, TEN)
Total raised in the first-in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire: nothing (Chris Richter, what ARE you doing with Cox's money up there?)
Total raised in South Carolina: nothing

Elsewhere:
Connecticut: $25
Idaho: $25
Texas: $45
Missouri: $50
New York: $25
Nebraska: $50

Total raised since filing with the FEC on Feb. 13, 2006 = $21,901.51
Total SPENT since filing: $1,021,334.62 (yes, that's ONE million+)

Notable expenditure: Cox spent $2,500 for a South Carolina media company to produce an EMBARRASSING anti-immigration video, which featured a "Clone Warrior" from Star Wars in order to make a lame joke that was lost on its viewers and gave rise to much ridicule online.

Like a vampire needing blood but not getting it from the proper source, Cox kept his cold, atrophied campaign from rigor mortis, and infused with cash, by giving it his own life-giving money frequently:
$30,000 on 7/31
$25,000 on 8/22
$25,000 on 9/5
$10,000 on 9/20

It also bears mentioning here that the FEC has made TWO requests for clarifications about "odd" entries on Cox's past FEC filings. One they noted included expenses for "child support" in Texas. On who's behalf was Cox paying child support, and why was it from his campaign coffers? One supposes it was a paycheck withholding for an employee, but still, it's an odd entry.