BALTIMORE — Democrat Wes Moore insisted he’s ready to meet Republican opponent Dan Cox on a gubernatorial race debate stage.
Reporters asked Moore about his debate plans following an event Friday in Baltimore where he accepted a union endorsement, seeking his response to a claim Cox made a day earlier that Moore “appears to be avoiding in-person debates.”
Last week, Moore was the only one of six major party candidates for statewide office not to appear at a forum at the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City. Candidates appeared on stage and answered questions individually.
On Thursday, The Spokesman, a student-run news organization at Morgan State University, a historically Black college in Baltimore, reported Moore had declined its invitation to appear at a forum with Cox. The school has been the site of presidential, gubernatorial and other debates over the years.
“I know our teams are in touch and we’re in touch with networks to be able to make it happen,” Moore said Friday about a future debate with Cox, “but I’m very excited to be able to have a chance to stand toe-to-toe with my opponent to talk about our vision and values and where we see the future of the state … in contrast to his vision and in contrast to his values and also his track record.”
In turning down the invitation to participate in the event at Morgan State, Allisa Mason, scheduling director for Moore’s campaign, told The Spokesman that any interactions would be limited to “the appropriate time and forum” to avoid giving Cox a platform, according to The Spokesman’s article.
It also quotes Mason as saying of Cox, “We will not otherwise share the stage with him and participate in anything that amplifies his dangerous and decisive rhetoric.” She pointed to Cox’s opposition to abortion and denial of the 2020 presidential election results, among other things.
According to the article, Cox had “immediately” confirmed that he would attend the Sept. 27 forum. It will be moderated by NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton, hosted by The Spokesman, and go on without Moore.
The Baltimore Sun reached out to the Moore campaign for clarification regarding which and how many forums or debates he plans to participate in, but an answer was not immediately provided. Late Friday, a spokesman said “we are looking forward to a televised debate in October hosted by Maryland Public Television.”
In Maryland, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1, pushing the electoral scale in Moore’s favor.
Cox, who is finishing his first term in the state House of Delegates, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump for his bid to be Maryland’s next governor. No stranger to controversy, Cox arranged for buses to take himself and constituents to the Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally that happened shortly before rioters breached the U.S. Capitol, and he called then-Vice President Mike Pence a “traitor” in a tweet during the insurrection.
The result of Maryland’s July 19 GOP primary has put fault lines within the state Republican Party on full display. After Cox defeated Kelly Schulz, a former member of Gov. Larry Hogan’s Cabinet and his political protege, Hogan announced he would not support Cox. The nominee, who unsuccessfully tried to sue and impeach Hogan because of statewide public health mandates, has had a fraught relationship with the governor since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further, Cox’s ideology has alienated Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, the Republican nominee for comptroller, so much so that he has rejected calls for party unity, opting instead to run an “independent” campaign.
Moore, an author and former nonprofit leader, told reporters Friday that he will debate Cox to discuss his policies to create a more equitable Maryland, in contrast to Cox’s platform.
“I’m excited to put that against … the ideals and the values of Dan Cox, which is full of conspiracy theories about election fraud,” Moore said.
