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Local and national polling indicated that Cox was one of the front-runners for the Republican nomination, potentially defeating his potential Democratic opponents in the 2010 gubernatorial election by comfortable margins.<ref>{{cite web|author=1871media.com |url=http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/224291-poll-cox-leads-michigan-governors-race |title=Poll: Cox leads Michigan governor's race |publisher=LegalNewsline |date= |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2009/03/19/republicans-show-startling-strength-in-race-for-michigan-governor.html |title=Republicans Show Startling Strength in Race for Michigan Governor&nbsp;— Michael Barone |publisher=usnews.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/michigan/election_2010_michigan_governor |title=Election 2010: Michigan Governor&nbsp;— Rasmussen Reports™ |publisher=Rasmussenreports.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2009/09/25/mi-gov-poll-cox-takes-double-digit-lead/ |title=MI Gov Poll: Cox Takes Double-Digit Lead&nbsp;— Real Clear Politics&nbsp;– TIME.com |publisher=Realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com |date=2009-09-25 |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref>
Local and national polling indicated that Cox was one of the front-runners for the Republican nomination, potentially defeating his potential Democratic opponents in the 2010 gubernatorial election by comfortable margins.<ref>{{cite web|author=1871media.com |url=http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/224291-poll-cox-leads-michigan-governors-race |title=Poll: Cox leads Michigan governor's race |publisher=LegalNewsline |date= |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/2009/03/19/republicans-show-startling-strength-in-race-for-michigan-governor.html |title=Republicans Show Startling Strength in Race for Michigan Governor&nbsp;— Michael Barone |publisher=usnews.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/michigan/election_2010_michigan_governor |title=Election 2010: Michigan Governor&nbsp;— Rasmussen Reports™ |publisher=Rasmussenreports.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2009/09/25/mi-gov-poll-cox-takes-double-digit-lead/ |title=MI Gov Poll: Cox Takes Double-Digit Lead&nbsp;— Real Clear Politics&nbsp;– TIME.com |publisher=Realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com |date=2009-09-25 |accessdate=2010-03-04}}</ref>


However, Cox was "soundly defeated" in the republican primary finishing a distant third. <ref>http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/national_media_on_michigan_gub.html</ref>
However, Cox was "soundly defeated" in the republican primary finishing a distant third. <ref>http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/national_media_on_michigan_gub.html</ref><ref>http://www.nelsonhaha.com/</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 19:25, 4 August 2010

For other people named Michael Cox, see Michael Cox.
Mike Cox
52nd Michigan Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2003
GovernorJennifer M. Granholm
Preceded byJennifer M. Granholm
Personal details
Born
Michael Anthony Cox

(1961-12-30) December 30, 1961 (age 62)
Detroit, Michigan
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLaura Cox
Residence(s)Livonia, Michigan
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
University of Michigan Law School
OccupationLawyer, Prosecutor
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Marines Corps

Mike Cox (born 1961) is the 52nd Michigan Attorney General, having served since January 1, 2003. He is the first Republican in 48 years to serve as attorney general of Michigan since Frank Millard left office in 1955. He won re-election in 2006, defeating Democratic candidate Amos Williams, Libertarian Bill Hall, and U.S. Taxpayers party candidate Charles Conces. Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm preceded him as the state's 51st Attorney General.[1]

Cox has announced his candidacy for the 2010 race for Michigan's governorship.

Background

Cox graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1980. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1980-83. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1986, before earning his J.D. from University of Michigan Law in 1989. He worked for the Oakland County Prosecutors' office from 1989–90, then the Wayne County office from 1990–2002, before being elected Attorney General.[2] Cox successfully ran for re-election in 2006, after receiving the Republican party nomination at the August Michigan Republican Party Convention.

As Attorney General

As attorney general, Cox took a prominent role in taking on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM). Cox has opposed BCBSM supported bills and challenged BCBSM in court for the alleged transfer of nonprofit funds to purchase a for-profit company.[3]

In 2003, Cox created a cold case unit to investigate and prosecute cold cases.[4] Cox's team has had notable convictions including Coral Watts, Gary Leiterman, John Rodney McRae, two brothers who killed two Oakland County hunters, two people who killed Christopher Brown, six people who murdered Janet Chandler in 1979, and most recently, Timothy Dawson who was convicted of killing his wife.[5]

Detroit Mayor's Mansion party

Cox played a role in aftermath of the Detroit Mayor Mansion party where strippers were alleged to have been present and allegedly assaulted; one dancer was murdered shortly after.[6][7][8]

Citing no evidence, no proof, and no witnesses, Cox refused to offer a subpoena, effectively closing an investigation by the State of Michigan into allegations of a "wild party" at Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's residence (known as the Manoogian Mansion).[9][10] The Michigan State Police continued their own separate investigation.

Cox interviewed the Mayor with his chief criminal prosecutor.[9] The police noted that Cox insisted on interviewing the former mayor alone without MSP present, because there were allegations of media leaks.[11]

State police officers have testified that they had strong leads that needed to be followed regarding the Manoogian Mansion party, that the state police believed that the Detroit Police Department was destroying evidence in the case, but "because of actions by Attorney General Mike Cox, they were powerless to stop them."[12][13] In a state police memo, the state police revealed that they had wanted to interview the mayor and the mayor's wife, but because the attorney general "shut down" the investigation they could not get subpoenas, could not get witnesses to cooperate and could not get medical records.[6] In response, Cox said he didn't care, the police could have "went"[14] to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy if they wanted subpoenas and that criticism of him was "absolute bullshit" and that you may quote him on that. After talking about what he called the thoroughness of the investigation, Cox attempted to explain his actions in closing the investigation without interviewing the alleged assault perpetrator by saying that that the Manoogian Mansion party assault allegations were "only" about a misdemeanor so that the state police didn't need to interview the alleged assault perpetrator. In addition, Cox said that newspaper reporters (who lack subpoena power to further investigate a case in which evidence was allegedly being destroyed) didn't find evidence that the police did not find.[15]

Seven years after the investigation it has not been proven to have occurred.[9] However, after the investigation was shut down by Mike Cox, new evidence has come to light, including an allegation by a records' clerk at the police department that she saw a police report alleging an assault at the manoogian mansion[16] and an allegation by the chief of police from a nearby city that he was invited to the party and allegations of a witness to the scene at the hospital when the assault victim arrived for treatment with what appeared to be the then-mayor's security detail running escort which witness was told by a coworker that the victim had been beaten by the mayor's wife[17] And, a 911 dispatcher has given testimony under oath in a civil deposition about officers who were dispatched to the Mansion regarding a disturbance. She also was told by responding officers that ATTORNEY GENERAL MIKE COX HIMSELF WAS PRESENT AT THE PARTY! Mike Cox stammers out an excited denial in this video interview and eventually repeats his denials more calmly; he can also be seen smugly giving his "Urban Legend" speech at the end of the news story.[18]

Adultery law

Cox received nationwide press in 2007 when the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that adultery could be prosecuted as first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a resulting life in prison sentence. This unanimous decision was reached as a result of an appeal sought by Cox's office on a drug case that touched in part on this strange loophole in the law.[19][20] In November 2005, Cox himself admitted to committing adultery while accusing Oakland County lawyer Geoffrey Fieger of blackmail, claiming that he threatened to reveal the affair if Cox did not drop an investigation into Fieger's alleged campaign finance violations.[21][22] Cox said his personal conduct was "inexcusable" and had reconciled with his wife.

Pursuant to MCL 750.31, however, only Cox himself, his wife, or parties to the marriage (if any) of the co-adulterer or adulterers with whom he committed felonies may pursue a complaint for prosecution of felony adultery. Cox did not recuse himself from the decision to file a complaint for prosecution of his adultery notwithstanding the apparent conflict of interest.[10]

Health care

Cox joined eighteen other state attorneys general, all but one being Republican, in challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 22, 2010.[23] Critics contend that this action is a political move because Cox is running for governor.[24][25] At least one legal expert has criticized this unusual move as being not only "frivolous" but a waste of tax payers' dollars. [26]

2010 campaign for governor

Main article: Michigan gubernatorial election, 2010

Cox filed paper work to explore a bid for Governor in 2008. Cox was the first person to file an exploratory committee.[27] The Republican nominee in 2006, Dick DeVos, announced in November of 2008 that he was not going to seek the GOP nomination in 2010.[28] In March 2009, the Detroit Free Press reported that Cox led the likely Democratic challenger at the time, Lt. Governor John D. Cherry, by 41-34%[29]. Cherry later decided not to run. In mid-April 2009, Cox announced that his exploratory committee had set up a business and finance advisory committee. Among the names released included, Peter Karmanos, Jr, the CEO and founder of Compuware, former Michigan Chamber of Commerce President Jim Barrett, and major Republican fundraiser, C. Michael Kojaian, President of the Kojaian Companies. According to the AP story, the list included 20 other business leaders from across Michigan.[30]

On May 27, 2009, Cox formally announced his candidacy for governor on Facebook and Twitter.[31]

Cox joins Mike Bouchard, the Oakland County Sheriff and former state senator, state Sen. Tom George, Congressman Peter Hoekstra and business person Rick Snyder as 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidates.

Cox favors cutting in the business tax by half and suggests reversing Michigan income tax increases. He wants to return to 2002 levels in higher education spending. Cox favors removing ten percent of the current twenty one billion dollars in state contracts out of the system.

Local and national polling indicated that Cox was one of the front-runners for the Republican nomination, potentially defeating his potential Democratic opponents in the 2010 gubernatorial election by comfortable margins.[32][33][34][35]

However, Cox was "soundly defeated" in the republican primary finishing a distant third. [36][37]

References

  1. ^ [l "http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/06GEN/04000000.html"]. State of Michigan. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); External link in |title= (help)
  2. ^ campaign bio
  3. ^ Ansett, Pat (April 29, 2008). "Cox criticizes changes that Blue Cross seeks". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 8, 2008. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Donnelly, Francis X. (June 12, 2006). "Cracking cold cases becomes police priority". The Detroit News. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Deiters, Barton (November 6, 2008). "Murder victim's family relieved after Timothy Dawson convicted for 2004 murder of his wife". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved November 8, 2008. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Looking Back At AG's Manoogian Investigation || WXYZ.com | WXYZ-TV / Detroit | Detroit News, Weather, Sports and More". WXYZ.com. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  7. ^ [1][dead link]
  8. ^ "Timeline of the Mayor Kilpatrick Scandal — Timeline of the Mayor Kilpatrick Scandal". Detroit.about.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  9. ^ a b c "Cox states case on Manoogian probe | freep.com | Detroit Free Press". freep.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  10. ^ a b "News+Views: Cox in a box". Metro Times. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  11. ^ "Looking Back At AG's Manoogian Investigation || WXYZ.com | WXYZ-TV / Detroit | Detroit News, Weather, Sports and More". WXYZ.com. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  12. ^ "Detective Testifies In Greene Suit — Detroit Local News Story — WDIV Detroit". Clickondetroit.com. 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  13. ^ "Detectives Reveal Details About Greene Death — Video — WDIV Detroit". Clickondetroit.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  14. ^ "Attorney General Mike Cox on accusation he interfered with murder investigation of Detroit stripper Tamara Greene: 'This is crap'". MLive.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  15. ^ "Oosting, Jonathan. "Attorney General Mike Cox on accusation he interfered with murder investigation of Detroit stripper Tamara Greene: 'This is crap'" Mlive.com Oct. 23, 2009". Mlive.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  16. ^ "Former police clerk says she saw stripper's police report of Manoogian assault | Grand Rapids News Archives — MLive.com". Blog.mlive.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  17. ^ 13 februari 2008. "MANOOGIAN MANSION PARTY Ch 4 INVESTIGATION". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-03-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5b3M65utj0
  19. ^ "Life sentence for adultery? Could be / Furor in Michigan when appeals judge says that's exactly what state law means - SFGate". Articles.sfgate.com. 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  20. ^ Flesher, John (2007-01-19). "Judge's Footnote On Adultery Stirs a Tempest In Michigan". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  21. ^ [2][dead link]
  22. ^ "Mich. Currently, there is on ongoing investigation into Geoffrey Fieger's campaign contributions of 2004. Attorney General Acknowledges Affair". Washingtonpost.com. 2005-11-09. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  23. ^ "Judge urges swift action on health-care suit — Kris Wernowsky". Pensacola News Journal. April 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  24. ^ http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/OPINION01/3230333/1322/Cox-McMillin-woo-reform-foes-with-legal-foolishness
  25. ^ http://www.freep.com/article/20100321/BLOG24/100321003/1214/BLOG24/Mike-Coxs-letter
  26. ^ "Health bill lawsuits are going nowhere - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  27. ^ "VOTE 2010: Mike Cox considers a run for Governor". WZZM 13. November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Bell, Dawon (November 8, 2008). "DeVos rules out 2010 run for governor". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 8, 2008. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  29. ^ Bell, Dawon (March 13, 2009). "GOP's field of 3 leads Cherry in 2010 governor race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ "Cox campaign gets help from Compuware head, others". Chicago Tribune. April 13, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "Mike Cox for Governor 2010". Mikecox2010.com. 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  32. ^ 1871media.com. "Poll: Cox leads Michigan governor's race". LegalNewsline. Retrieved 2010-03-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Republicans Show Startling Strength in Race for Michigan Governor — Michael Barone". usnews.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  34. ^ "Election 2010: Michigan Governor — Rasmussen Reports™". Rasmussenreports.com. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  35. ^ "MI Gov Poll: Cox Takes Double-Digit Lead — Real Clear Politics – TIME.com". Realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com. 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  36. ^ http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/national_media_on_michigan_gub.html
  37. ^ http://www.nelsonhaha.com/
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Preceded by Michigan Attorney General
2003 – Present 		Succeeded by
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