Maryland GOP governor hopeful Dan Cox deletes account from site known for hate speech, Gab

Dan Cox, the Republican nominee for governor of Maryland, has deleted his account on the social media platform Gab, which is known as a forum for hate speech. 

Cox expunged more than 1,000 posts when he took down his account, according to The Washington Post. 

The nominee also deleted a line from his campaign website in which he touted his role in trying to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. 

“As one of President Trump’s volunteer lawyers in Philadelphia during the 2020 election, and in the Maryland State House, he has led the fight for election integrity,” the website previously read. 

Cox’s campaign did not immediately return a request from The Hill for comment. 

The changes come as Cox is seeking to be elected governor in a heavily Democratic state. Cox, who serves as a delegate in the Maryland state House, defeated former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz in the Republican primary last month. 

Cox was backed by former President Trump while Schulz received an endorsement from incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican. The race was seen as part of a proxy war between more moderate establishment members of the GOP and Trump-endorsed hard-liners. 

Hogan has slammed Cox, saying he is not “mentally stable.” Cox called former Vice President Mike Pence a “traitor” on Jan. 6, 2021, for refusing to reject the certification of the results of the 2020 election, but later apologized for those comments. 

Gab has emerged as a popular social media platform for conservatives who have criticized more mainstream platforms like Twitter for regulating certain posts for hate speech and disinformation. 

The gunman who opened fire and killed 11 at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 made multiple antisemitic posts on Gab.