Tuesday, November 8th: Wes Moore (D) wins the race for Maryland’s next governor. Wes Moore is the first Black governor of Maryland. Campaigning on his goals to create equal opportunities, Moore secured the vote with a solid 63%. Joined with new Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller (D), Gov. Moore idealistically promises to create economic equity, especially among struggling communities, and pledges to ensure everyone has a chance to succeed. 

“We are going to be fast. And we’re going to be bold. And we’re going to be fearless,” Moore told the Baltimore Sun. 

As a veteran, he proposes that upon graduation, high school students will have the option to participate in a paid year of service to Maryland. He claimed that this will help students afford college and promote unity amongst the people of Maryland, stating to MSNBC, “Service will help save us.”

On education, Moore plans to keep funding The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, legislation instituted in 2021 which ensures all schools have a standard curriculum and aims to provide 1.8 billion in funding each year for the next 10 years. 

“We’re only going to be as great as how we’re treating [our] most vulnerable and making sure that basic support and supplies that our children are going to need…that we have those things in place,” said Moore to WMAR-2 News. “No one will be left behind.”

One of Moore’s main goals is to combat child poverty, proposing to implement baby bonds: a trust fund program that will award $3,200 to every child born under Medicaid. The Washington Post estimates that the program will cost around $100 million per year, one of his most financially ambitious initiatives.

Moore has repeated that he will increase Maryland’s minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2023, which is two years before it is expected to increase. 

While he led a major nonprofit organization, Moore has minimal experience in government. This may prove challenging, but Chief of Staff Fagan Harris notes to the Washington Post that they will “bring in a different spirit to the administration.” 

Wes Moore was also elected alongside Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) and Attorney General Anthony Brown (D).