BALTIMORE — Wes Moore, whose vibrant and organized campaign catapulted him from outsider political candidate to a rising star in Democratic politics, will be Maryland’s next governor, the first Black candidate elected to the role and only the third Black elected governor in U.S. history, The Associated Press said as the polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Moore defeated Republican Del. Dan Cox to return the state capital to full Democratic control after eight years of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, setting the stage for a new progressive era in Annapolis and a potentially bright political future for the ambitious Moore.
Early unofficial results were still unavailable shortly after 8 p.m.
Moore, of Baltimore, has traveled a winding path to the peak of state politics.
A graduate of Valley Forge Military School in Pennsylvania, John’s Hopkins and then Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, Moore worked as an investment banker in London and New York City, spent a year at the State Department as a White House Fellow, led paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, became a bestselling author, started a production company and a business to help students, and ran one of the country’s largest anti-poverty nonprofits.
After being recruited to run for offices like Baltimore mayor and U.S. Congress since his return to Baltimore a decade ago, Moore has said he felt he could make the largest impact as governor if he ran and won this year.
His platform has included plans to invest heavily in child care, job retraining and apprenticeship programs, public transportation, education and more. With slogans like “work, wages and wealth” and “leave no one behind,” he sought to appeal to a wide range of voters, who often cited his charisma and energy as reasons they were also supporting him.
He also proved to be a prolific fundraiser, raising and spending millions as he garnered national media attention for his campaign and his potential future in national politics.
Cox, a 48-year-old first-term delegate from Frederick County, offered voters a conservative platform of reducing taxes, giving parents more control over school curriculum and vowing not to restore pandemic protections such as business shutdowns or mask and vaccine requirements. After eight years of Hogan’s brand of moderate conservatism, Cox’s stances and his loyal support of former President Donald Trump were expected to make winning statewide — where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 — an unlikely outcome.
Cox, who had not committed to accepting the results of the election, had not conceded as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Moore will likely be entering Annapolis next year with a Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly, giving his party significant powers to pass legislation they support. All 188 seats were on ballots across the state this week, though it was unclear Tuesday night exactly how many seats Democrats and Republicans would hold.
On Tuesday night, Moore was set to gather with supporters and other Democratic candidates at the Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore as the results started to come while Cox was with supporters at a hotel in Annapolis.
Brown, Lierman and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen — who was expected to win a second six-year term against Republican challenger Chris Chaffee — were scheduled to appear at Moore’s event.
While the final turnout estimates won’t be available for days, roughly one in five registered active voters had already voted through early in-person voting or with mail-in ballots before Election Day. Results from those early voting methods were set to be released first after the polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Maryland election officials were planning on a faster ballot-counting process than in the primary, when local election workers were barred from processing mail-in ballots until two days after primary day — delaying results in some races by days or weeks.
A judge’s ruling last month allowed election workers to begin processing those ballots when they received them. Eleven of the state’s 24 voting jurisdictions opted to take advantage of the early processing, including the larger Baltimore city and Baltimore, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard and Frederick counties.
Results will continue to be updated for weeks as mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday can be received until Nov. 18, and the canvassing of provisional ballots will begin Nov. 16. The results cannot be certified before Nov. 18, according to the State Board of Elections.
