reform efforts, making her the first Secretary of State in the nation to be so recognized. Cox created the Georgia Invests initiative to combat fraudulent telephone investment schemes. In 2004, Cox rejected 63 voter registration applications on the basis that they were submitted without following procedures then required by Georgia law. The procedures not followed included obtaining specific pre-clearance from the state to conduct their drive. A suit was filed, Charles H. Wesley Education Foundation v. Cathy Cox, on the basis that the rejection of the registrations violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by undermining voter registration drives. A Senior U.S. District Judge upheld earlier federal court decisions in the case, finding against Cox, and deciding that private entities have a right under the NVRA to engage in organized voter registration activity in Georgia at times and locations of their choosing, without the presence or permission of state or local election officials. Gubernatorial candidacy On December 27, 2004, in her hometown of Bainbridge, Cox announced her candidacy for governor of Georgia. In her announcement, she stated that she is "ready and willing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to improve education, provide access to high quality health care, and promote economic development in every region of Georgia." Cox was opposed by fellow Democrat Mark Taylor, then lieutenant governor of Georgia, and Republican Sonny Perdue, the incumbent governor of Georgia. If elected, she would have become the first female governor of Georgia. She made an early commitment to marriage equality, but abandoned that position after the primary and while heading into the general election. Cathy Cox lost the Democratic primary and then conceded defeat to Mark Taylor during a press conference at 12:00 am on July 19, 2006. Wikipedia controversy On April 26, 2006, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Wikipedia biography of Mark Taylor, Cox's opponent in the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary, had been edited by someone using an IP address associated with the Cox gubernatorial campaign (69.15.227.237). According to the Associated Press, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales told reporters that the insertion of a paragraph based on opposition research relating to the arrest of Taylor's son on driving under the influence charges had been traced back to Cox's campaign, but said he had no way of knowing who made the change. After the story broke, Cox denied any knowledge of her campaign manager's alleged actions and