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July 23, 2022
Wes Moore declares victory in Democratic primary for Maryland Governor
Moore accepts results of election with ‘great humility and pride’
Moore to face Trump-endorsed Dan Cox in high-stakes race for Maryland Governor
BALTIMORE (July 23, 2022) – Wes Moore today declared victory in the crowded Democratic primary to be the next Governor of Maryland.
Moore and his running mate former Del. Aruna Miller emerged on top in a crowded and talented field of Democrats, according to projections from the Associated Press, CNN, CBS, and NBC. They will face Republican opponents Del. Dan Cox and his running mate Gordana Schifanelli in the general election. Cox was endorsed by and has embraced the politics of former President Donald Trump.
“I commend the talented field of opponents who sought the nomination alongside me, and look forward to working with them. It’s with great humility and pride that I accept the confidence that the voters in Maryland have placed in me as their Democratic nominee for Governor. We were successful in this campaign because Marylanders, from every region of the state, united behind a vision for a state that truly leaves no one behind – more economic opportunity, better public schools, safer communities,” Wes Moore said. “Marylanders will face a very clear choice this November. A choice between unity and division, a future built on optimism versus the cynical politics of conspiracy theories and fear, and between the values we embrace as Marylanders and Donald Trump’s divisive and dangerous MAGA movement. Dan Cox is so far outside the mainstream that I believe he would be dangerous for our families and communities if he were allowed anywhere near the Governor’s office.”
“I am so humbled and honored that Maryland voters have chosen Wes Moore and me to be the Democratic nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. We built a coalition that looks like the state of Maryland, and we look forward to building on that community to win this election, where the stakes could not be higher,” Aruna Miller said. “Dan Cox personally organized buses of insurrectionists to the U.S. Capitol on January 6. He trafficks in conspiracy theories and Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. He even tried to impeach Governor Hogan. His campaign represents the most extreme fringe of American politics. We must bring Maryland together to defeat him.”
Moore and Miller earned a decisive victory through the strength of an unparalleled coalition that included endorsements from U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5); U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-7); U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2); Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks; Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman; Senate President Bill Ferguson (District 46); Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne Jones (District 10); The AFRO American Newspapers; The Maryland League of Conservation Voters; The Maryland State Education Association; and dozens of other leaders and organizations across Maryland, including more leaders from the Baltimore region, more leaders from the Prince George’s County, more members of the Maryland General Assembly than any other campaign.
Moore was the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University, a feat rendered even more unlikely considering his childhood circumstances. Moore’s father died from a treatable virus after he was sent home from the hospital without receiving the treatment he needed when Moore was just three years old. Amid the hardship, his mother moved the family to live with her parents in the Bronx. The family returned to Maryland when his mother found the first job that paid her benefits as a single mother at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore City.
Moore volunteered to lead soldiers in combat with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, where he earned a Combat Action Badge for engaging the enemy in direct combat and was described by his superior officers as a “top 1% officer” and “the finest young officer I have observed in 17 years of military service” who “deftly managed his herculean task in combat.”
He founded a small business in Baltimore that helped students succeed in college before becoming CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation – one of the nation’s largest antipoverty organizations. During Moore’s time as CEO, the organization raised and invested over $600 million, including millions here in Maryland.
He lives in Baltimore with his wife Dawn and his two children.
Moore’s running mate, former Delegate Aruna Miller, is a seasoned legislator and an expert civil and transportation engineer. Representing District 15 in Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2010 to 2018, Miller worked to invest in STEM education; streamline the regulatory process for small businesses; and was a champion for working families, survivors of domestic abuse, and the environment.
A civil and transportation engineer, Miller worked in Montgomery County for over 25 years helping improve the safety of the public and alleviate traffic, and creating equitable transportation access to connect people to opportunities.
Her family immigrated to the United States from India when she was 7. She graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a degree in civil engineering and chose a life of public service in Maryland.
She lives in Montgomery County with her husband Dave, where they raised three daughters.
Learn more at wesmoore.com
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