Moore, a best-selling author in his first run for public office, defeated Republican Dan Cox.
Democrat Wes Moore has been elected Maryland’s first Black governor.
Moore, a best-selling author in his first run for public office, defeated Republican Dan Cox in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.
Moore’s victory flips a governor’s office from Republican to Democratic. Of the 36 governor’s races this year, Maryland and Massachusetts represented one of the best chances for Democrats to regain a governor’s office at a time when the GOP holds a 28-22 edge in governor’s seats.
With the slogan “leave no one behind,” the former combat veteran and former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations campaigned on creating equal opportunity for Maryland residents.
“This can be Maryland’s moment,” Moore said in a debate last month. “We have amazing people and incredible potential, but not everybody’s in a position to succeed.”
Moore, 44, defeated a first-term state legislator who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who only received 32% of the vote in Maryland in the 2020 presidential election.
During their only debate, Moore criticized Cox for attending the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, before Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Moore described Cox as “an extremist election-denier whose rhetoric and his policies are not only dangerous and divisive, but will take our state backwards.”
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