Gov. Moore Signed Legislation To Send Redistricting To The November Ballot, Announces Major Weekend-Long National Television Deal For Preakness, and “Bets On Bipartisanship In A Divisive Age”
ANNAPOLIS, MD – This past week, Gov. Moore signed legislation to send redistricting to the ballot this November–putting the power in the hands of Marylanders in the face of power grabs around the country. He also signed a historic deal with NBC to make the Preakness a weekend-long nationally televised event for the first time in the races’ history. And, the Root highlighted his commitment to bipartisanship in a divisive age.
Gov. Moore Signed Legislation To Send Redistricting To The November Ballot
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill Wednesday that will put the topic of congressional redistricting on the ballot this November.
“For over a year, I’ve warned that Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington and across the country are working to rig the system. They are working to weaken voting rights. They are trying to make this pain permanent,” Moore said during Wednesday’s signing.
The signing comes after lawmakers were called back to Annapolis for a special session earlier this week.
Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill on Wednesday after the Maryland General Assembly’s two-day special session that lays the groundwork for future changes to the state’s congressional districts.
The amendment will appear on the ballot in this November’s midterm election, when Maryland voters will decide whether or not they approve the legislation. The bill, which clarifies the rules for how district lines can be drawn, was passed in the House of Delegates with a 96-38 vote Tuesday morning and the Senate with a 32-13 vote that afternoon.
Gov. Moore Announces Major Weekend-Long National Television Deal For Preakness
In a historic shift for Maryland’s premier sporting event, Gov. Wes Moore announced that the Preakness Stakes will move back on the calendar starting in 2027, sliding eight days to Sunday.
Most years, the race will coincide with Memorial Day weekend, but next year’s running is scheduled for May 23.
The decision pushes the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown from its traditional slot two weeks after the Kentucky Derby to a three-week gap. State leaders and racing officials say the extra recovery time is vital to protecting Maryland’s massive public investment in thoroughbred racing by ensuring top-tier horses—including Kentucky Derby winners—continue competing at Pimlico.
“The whole point of continuing to maintain ownership is we are trying to remove any uncertainty,” Gov. Moore said during the announcement in Annapolis.
Changes lie ahead for Maryland’s signature thoroughbred horse race, including a new, later race day and a new, expanded network television contract.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced the changes Wednesday to the Preakness Stakes, historically the second event in racing’s Triple Crown. It was the latest in a week of rapid-fire developments that saw the state buy rights to the Preakness away from Kentucky Derby owner Churchill Downs, which responded by announcing a new national thoroughbred racing series that excludes the Preakness.
Wednesday’s changes mean that a race always run on the third Saturday of May — two weeks after the Kentucky Derby — will happen a week later. And on a Sunday. As part of expanded television coverage for a planned Memorial Day weekend of racing, with the state-owned Black-Eyed Susan Stakes being run on Saturday.
Moore said the new television deal and race day changes are meant to ensure the growth of the taxpayer-owned Preakness, the thoroughbred racing industry in the state and the neighboring Park Heights Community.
“Because I will always bet on Maryland, today, this Preakness deal joins the list of things that will not just grow our economy, but continue to show that in Maryland, we control our own destinies, and we don’t need others’ help to do it,” Moore said. “The Preakness can and will remain the second jewel of the Triple Crown, and nothing will change that.”
The changes will start with the 2027 Preakness.
Moving the Preakness back a week was seen as important because trainers of horses that run in the Kentucky Derby — including winners — have sometimes decided to skip the race in Baltimore to rest their horses for the longer Belmont Stakes in New York, the third leg of the Triple Crown. Doing so eliminates the potential for a Triple Crown winner and the public attention that comes with that possibility.
“The Triple Crown will continue to be one of the marquee sports events of the year, and we’ll continue having Preakness be at the center,” Moore told reporters.
Gov. Moore “Bets On Bipartisanship In A Divisive Age”
Near sacred ground in Oklahoma City — blocks from the site of the deadliest act of domestic terrorism on American soil, perpetrated by an American veteran radicalized by white supremacist ideology and antigovernment extremism — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) was selected by his peers to become the first Black governor to lead the 118-year-old National Governors Association.
…
Moore has spent this cycle campaigning for Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Aaron Ford in Nevada, and Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina — two of those three races genuine uphill fights. Ask him whether he’s building a bench of governors or a bench of future national candidates, and he corrects the premise before he answers: “I’m building a bench of partners who believe in good governance.”
…
“He said it, he meant it.” That’s how Moore wants his peers, his supporters, and the next National Governor’s Association chair to remember his tenure. Easier said than done in a political environment where the base wants less nuance and more of a street fighter than the job requires. Sporting cowboy boots that he compared to Black Panther’s self-molding suit, Governor Moore seems — for now — willing to take that bet.
Contact: Carter Elliott, IV [email protected]