Maryland has elected its first Black governor. With 59.8% of the reported vote, Wes Moore, the Democratic candidate, won the state’s top position on Nov. 8.
“I am grateful because you believed,” Moore tweeted. “You believed that in this moment, our state could be bolder. And you believed in the son of an immigrant.”
Moore’s campaign website describes him as a combat veteran, bestselling writer, small-business owner, Rhodes Scholar and former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations.
“I see Marylanders from all backgrounds, all walks of life, all income levels who lent your voices and gave your votes to this campaign. Who are saying with a collective voice: Our time is now. It is because of you that I stand here, humbled and ready to become the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland,” he said.
Moore received his associate’s degree from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
Wes Moore, the new governor of Maryland, is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha: pic.twitter.com/tROfE42rls
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 9, 2022
One of his books, Five Days, examines race, equity and opportunity, describing the days in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.
In addition to Moore, Maryland also elected Aruna Miller, the first immigrant and woman of color to serve as lieutenant governor; Brooke Lierman, the first female comptroller; and Anthony Brown, the first Black attorney general.
“It is not lost on me that I’ve made some history here tonight, too,” Moore posted. “But I also know I’m not the first one to try. This is just more proof that progress is possible in Maryland. And I am humbled to be a part of this legacy. But for Aruna and me, making history is not why we got into this race. The history that matters most to us is the history that we — the people of this state — are going to make over the next four years … True patriotism is alive and well in Maryland, and alive and well in America.”
