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June 6, 2022
Wes Moore is the only candidate to offer clear path, vision, and experienced leadership in Democratic governor debate
Moore demonstrates ability to lead ‘with a sense of urgency that no one else can or will’
Moore delivers dominant performance at Democratic debate while Franchot has no answer for clear corruption
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (June 6, 2022) – Today, leading Democratic candidate for Maryland governor Wes Moore participated in the Democratic candidate debate hosted by Maryland Public Television, where he outlined his clear vision for the future of Maryland, his path to victory in both the primary and general election, and his record of leadership that uniquely prepares Wes to deliver on his agenda of work, wages, and wealth for all Marylanders.
“Right now in Maryland, families are worried about rising costs, how our kids are finishing the school year, and feeling unsafe both in our communities and our own skin,” Wes Moore said. “I don’t just see these challenges, I’ve lived them. I watched my father die when I was three after he didn’t get the health care he needed. My mother, an immigrant from Jamaica, did not get a job that paid her benefits until I was 14. And these are the same challenges that people on this stage have had 30 years to fix. I will tackle these problems with a sense of urgency that no one else can or will.”
At the debate, Moore told voters how he would act with urgency to bring relief to Maryland families as they navigate the rising costs of living. He outlined how his extraordinary life story and unparalleled record of leadership has given him both the lived experience to connect with Marylanders, as well as the experience and insight necessary to meaningfully address the pressures Maryland families are facing.
Read Wes Moore’s comprehensive economic plan »
“I’m hearing everywhere I go that everything feels more expensive, because they are. I hear it on everything from gas prices to the cost of prescription drugs to food,” Moore added. “We need to get ourselves to a $15 minimum wage and faster than 2025. We have to ensure that we can fix a broken childcare system because we’ve had over 860 childcare centers close, and we have to focus on job retraining and job reskilling to get people back into the workforce.”
In a pivotal moment, Moore offered a searing indictment of Comptroller Peter Franchot’s repeated abuses of office, challenging Franchot for repeatedly approving contracts from companies from which he had accepted political donations.
“The people who get Peter Franchot’s support are oftentimes people who have donated to his campaign,” Moore said. “Not once, not twice, but 12 times that has happened, that he offered a contract to someone who has donated to his campaign. So when we’re talking about integrity, pay-to-play is not part of that.”
Given an opportunity to explain why he has accepted political contributions from interests he has voted on as a member of the Board of Public Works, Franchot, who has faced recent scrutiny for using his office to enrich himself, offered no defense for the allegations.
“I’ve been totally vetted,” he said in response to allegations he has never answered, before proclaiming he was “a little bit out of touch with everybody up here on the stage.”
Campaign finance reports and Board of Public Works records reveal Franchot has accepted over $50,000 in political contributions from corporations in Maryland and voted in that entity’s interest from his position as a member of the Board of Public Works, which approves all state government contracts worth over $200,000.
On the issue of public safety and crime, Moore went on to demonstrate his clear vision to restore executive leadership on public safety and outlined measures he would take to combat crime and violence with the urgency the issue deserves.
“Just a few months back, I spoke at the vigil of a 69-year-old grandmother, a custodian in my church, who was killed in the church. When we think about what we need right now, we need to be able to address this issue with a sense of urgency,” Moore said. “Over the past seven year, we have lost 300 plus people in Baltimore alone because of violence. That means we have to tackle getting illegal guns off our streets. But it also means we’re not going to arrest nor militarize our way out of this,” Moore said, pledging to also address the root causes of crime with the urgency it takes to lead, echoing the leadership he demonstrated in detailing actions the governor could take right now to address gun violence in Baltimore.
Read Wes Moore’s comprehensive public safety plan»
Moore’s experience as a U.S. Army combat veteran, small business owner, and former CEO of one of the largest anti-poverty organizations in America, drew a stark contrast to his opponents on the debate stage.
“I volunteered to go back into the military to serve in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. When I came back, I served as CEO of one of the largest poverty fighting organizations in this country,” Moore said. “I’ve been a public servant for my entire life. I just haven’t been a politician. But I know as I enter into this space, that we will lead with integrity, [and] we will lead with thoughtfulness.”
Moore’s commanding performance on the debate stage demonstrated his unique appeal to his widest audience yet and furthered his unrivaled momentum at a critical time as voters continue to tune in to the race in the weeks leading up to the primary.
Moore’s appearance at the debate closely follows the release of a poll by Baltimore Sun Media and the University of Baltimore that found that his surging momentum has placed him clearly in second place, buoyed by unparalleled momentum just weeks before the primary election. The survey of likely Democratic primary voters found Moore’s support had grown to 15 percent with Franchot stuck at 20 percent support.
In his bid to become the next Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore has earned the support of U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5), former Governor and former Prince George’s County Executive Parris Glendening; former Democratic nominee for Governor Ben Jealous; Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks; Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman; Former Baltimore County Executive Don Mohler; Former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Sen. Guy Guzzone (District 13); Sen. Antonio Hayes (District 40); Sen. Cheryl Kagan (District 17); Sen. Delores Kelley (District 10); Sen. Susan Lee (District 16); Sen. Obie Patterson (District 26); Former Sen. Nathaniel McFadden (District 45); Del. Marlon Amprey (District 40); Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (District 13); Del. Ben Barnes (District 21); Del. Kumar Barve (District 17); Del. Lisa Belcastro (District 11); Del. Regina Boyce (District 43); Del. Chanel Branch (District 45); Del. Ben Brooks (District 10); Del. Frank Conaway, Jr. (District 40); Del. Debra Davis (District 28); Del. Jessica Feldmark (District 13); Del. Terri Hill (District 12); Speaker Pro Tem Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes (District 37A); Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne Jones (District 10); Del. Rachel Jones (District 27B); Del. Anne Kaiser (District 14); Del. Cheryl Landis (District 23B); Majority Leader Del. Eric Luedtke (District 14); Del. Maggie McIntosh (District 43); Del. Edith Patterson (District 28); Del. Roxane Prettyman (District 44A); Del. Mike Rogers (District 32); Del. Sandy Rosenberg (District 41); Del. Emily Shetty (District 18); Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (District 23A); Del. and Baltimore City Delegation Chair Stephanie Smith (District 45); Del. Melissa Wells (District 40); Del. Nicole Williams (District 22); Former Del. Gene Counihan (District 15); Baltimore County Councilmember Cathy Bevins (District 6); University Park Councilmember and Mayor-Elect Joel Biermann; Bowie Mayor Pro Tem & Councilmember Adrian Boafo; Baltimore City Councilmember John Bullock (District 9); Hagerstown City Councilmember Tiara Burnett; Morningside Mayor Bennard Cann; Charles County Commissioner Thomasina Coates (District 2); Baltimore City Councilmember Zeke Cohen (District 1); Baltimore City Councilmember Mark Conway (District 4); Baltimore City Councilmember Eric Costello (District 11); Bowie City Councilmember Michael Esteve (District 11); Gaithersburg Councilmember Lisa Henderson; Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (At Large); Baltimore County Council Chair and Councilmember Julian Jones (District 4); Hagerstown Mayor Emily Keller; Hagerstown City Councilmember Tekesha Martinez; Prince George’s County Councilmember Johnathan Medlock (District 6); Former Gaithersburg Councilmember Yvette Monroe; Pocomoke City Councilmember Todd Nock (District 4); Baltimore City Councilmember Phylicia Porter (District 10); Baltimore County Councilmember Tom Quirk (District 1); Baltimore City Councilmember Odette Ramos (District 14); Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin; Riverdale Park Councilmember Richard Smith (Ward 1); Laurel Councilmember Brencis Smith (Ward 2); Baltimore City Councilmember Robert Stokes (District 12); Baltimore City Councilmember James Torrence (District 7); Forest Heights Mayor Calvin Washington; former Maryland Democratic Party chairs Michael Cryor and Susie Turnbull; Former Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board Royce Hanson; Joe Vogel, candidate for delegate in District 17; The Baltimore Fire Officers Union Local 964; Collective PAC, one of the nation’s largest organizations working to build Black representation in government; Impact, a leading national organization supporting the Indian American and South Asian community; Ironworkers Local #5, a progressive union representing over 1,000 ironworkers; The Maryland State Education Association; The Columbia Democratic Club; and VoteVetsPAC, one of the top veterans advocacy organizations in the country.
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