Democrat Wes Moore, a former head of the Robin Hood Foundation, the anti-poverty nonprofit, and captain of the 82nd Airborne Division, won the race for governor for the state of Maryland Nov. 8 2022. Moore won office with 64.67% of the votes amounting to 1,291,391 votes in total, beating out Republican Party candidate Dan Cox. As a native Marylander, I am very excited about Moore being Maryland’s new governor.
Moore made history by becoming only the third Black man to be elected governor of a state in the history of the United States, following Virginia’s Douglas Wilder (1989) and Massachusetts’ Deval Patrick (2006). Moore is also the first Democrat governor Maryland has had in three election cycles as he succeeds former Governor Larry Hogan. I think it is always important to see Black men and women in positions of power and be able to inspire others to do the same.
Fortunately for the Democratic party and the Black community, Moore is not the only historic winner in the 2022 elections. Democrat Brooke Lierman became the first woman elected Maryland comptroller. U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown became the state’s first Black attorney general. Aruna Miller became the first immigrant to win the lieutenant governor’s office. I am expecting the decision-making and conversations to reflect the diversity in office.
Two of the initiatives that make Moore such a promising governor are his stances on eliminating childhood poverty and ensuring Maryland remains a state dedicated to reproductive rights. These are two aspects that I think would mean more to a Black man than the “normal” white politician.
In cities like Baltimore, which is 62.26% Black, the attention to detail when it comes to ensuring the less fortunate are taken care of is important to the success of the entire state. Moore also wants to improve the education system in Maryland which has struggled at times in years past, especially in the public-school system. I believe that with a little more attention, Moore will help out those that are struggling.
Many of his words have also made me intrigued. In his victory speech in Baltimore Moore summed up a simple principle for his mission in office. “When I was an Army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by a simple principle: Leave no one behind … Real patriotism means bringing people together,” he said. “It means lifting each other up and improving each other’s lives.”
With so much division in the world and the political climate for the past few years, it is nice to hear a politician talk about bringing people together. I know that is definitely what the state of Maryland needs right now.
Based on Moore’s stances, I believe he is a governor that will cater more to the younger generations as well. He has been adamant about accelerating the state’s incremental increase of minimum wage to $15 per hour and strengthening protections on abortion access within the state. Those are the things that matter and as we have seen with the 2020 and 2022 elections, the younger generations not only matter but are starting to make their voices heard more.
A few things do worry me about Moore though. For one, this will be his first time serving in any government position. That leaves a lot of uncertainty when it comes to his ability to do the job. Another and more obvious area of concern is that Moore is a Black man. I imagine the response of some Marylanders was similar to some of the nation’s responses to President Barack Obama being elected in 2008. There is a lot of scrutiny that comes with being the first anything, but because Black people have fought so hard for equality and power for so long there is sure to be some resentment for Moore’s new position.
As with any politician, there have been controversies in Moore’s past. Moore had issues paying his taxes, which resulted in him owing $21,000 to the state of Maryland in 2022 after a 2013 investigation by The Baltimore Sun. He has also been accused of embellishing his time spent in Maryland during his childhood and exaggerating his role in the life of the late Baltimore County Police Sergeant Bruce Prothero.
As I previously stated, these types of controversies seem to always come to light with any politician. I still believe that Moore has the potential to be a game-changer in his role as governor of the state of Maryland. But because of his skin color, he will be on an extremely tight leash in the media.
Moore has also been dealt a difficult hand and is tasked with addressing the rising crime rates in the city of Baltimore, which is on pace for 300-plus homicides for the eighth straight year, according to an article by Paul Gessler of CBS Baltimore. With Moore’s past opposition to the possession and sale of “ghost guns,” I am optimistic that Moore may be able to make a difference.
Moore has a great opportunity to bring about some real change for the state of Maryland. His historic win in the 2022 election poses a major challenge for him to do so. I hope that those that he has around him like Deval Patrick with more experience than him do a good job at advising him. From everything that I have heard from him, he sounds like he understands the task ahead of him. So, I am optimistic that this will be a successful term for Moore.