On November 8th, 2022, ballots were cast and counted for the Maryland Gubernatorial Election to elect the next Governor of Maryland. When the results were in, relative newcomer and representative of the Democratic Party, Westley Omari Moore (Wes Moore), trounced his Republican opposition Dan Cox, capturing almost double the popular vote.
Breaking Glass Ceilings
At just 44 years old, Moore will be the first African American governor of Maryland, and he will be younger than many of his constituents. His meteoric rise to governor elect was foreshadowed by an engrossing campaign, comprehensive track record, and important endorsements.
Moore ran on a campaign focused on bridging the disparity between the have and have-nots in Maryland – usually along class and racial lines. He championed bringing career opportunities to overlooked neighborhoods and protecting abortion rights across the board. He has vowed to work with both local communities and the police to foster better relationships and a new era of public safety.
For the People
In his acceptance speech, he reiterated his campaign slogan, “Leave no one behind,” along with mentioning his recently deceased grandmother who was born in Cuba and then emigrated to Jamaica. Family has always been important to Wes Moore, who credits his Jamaican-born mother’s persistence and resilience in shaping the man he is today.
A Dynamo
Moore is a multiple-time author who is public, both in his books and his speeches, that there was easily another road he could stray down without his mother’s influence. Detecting her son was getting mixed up in the wrong crowd, she made the difficult but, according to Moore, necessary decision to send him to military school.
Wes Moore thrived in the space – molded into the resolute and disciplined man he is today. He is a Rhodes Scholar who graduated from Johns Hopkins University. He was a wide receiver for the Blue Jays football team. He deployed in Afghanistan from 2005-2006, earning the rank of captain in the 82nd Airborne Division. In 2006, he was named a White House Fellow to then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In 2010, he formed his own television production company, Omari Productions, and created content for the Oprah Winfrey Network, PBS, HBO, and NBC. Multiple of his books have been optioned for film adaptations. And, before running for governor, he was the CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation.
On top of this incredible resume, Moore was endorsed by a variety of the US’s most influential citizens including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, billionaire mogul Oprah Winfrey, and former US President Barack Obama. “The moment we’re in, demands a different type of leader. For governor in Maryland, you have one in my friend Wes Moore,” Oprah Winfrey said in a cut promo for the campaign.
The coming years will reveal if Moore and his running mate Aruna Miller – who in turn will be the first woman of color and immigrant to be lieutenant governor – can follow through on his campaign promises. Right now, Maryland is excited to welcome him into office.
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