In July 2003, Cox announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate. In Oct., the race had eight republican candidates. He thought that seven were conservative and that one (John Borling, a retired air force major general) was moderate. Cox thought that, if he stayed in the race, he would help split the conservative vote, helping Borling win the primary, so he dropped out and endorsed then-St. Sen. Steve Rauschenberger. The March 2004 primary was won by Jack Ryan. Rauschenberger was third, and Borling was fifth.
I know John Cox, and he most certainly is no Ronald Reagan.