MD Governor's Race: Wes Moore, Dan Cox Make Final Pitches To Voters

MARYLAND — Marylanders will decide between two opposing views of the state's future in Tuesday's election, where voters will pick the successor to Gov. Larry Hogan, along with local races. And voters will decide if the recreational use of marijuana should be legalized.

In the governor's race, the frontrunner is Democratic nominee Wes Moore. He is a former nonprofit CEO, an Army veteran and a political newcomer.

On the other hand is Republican nominee Dan Cox. The conservative currently represents Carroll and Frederick counties in the Maryland House of Delegates.

If elected, Moore would be Maryland's first Black governor. He would also offer a return to Maryland's typically Democratic ways after the state says goodbye to Hogan, a popular moderate Republican.

Hogan, who reached his term limit and cannot run again, was the first Republican governor to be re-elected in Maryland since 1954.

A resident who voted for Hogan in the previous two elections for governor said he thought Cox was too extreme. The voter, from Bethesda, told Patch his votes for Hogan were the first time in his life that he had voted for a Republican.

In the 2014 election, the resident said he voted for Hogan for "selfish reasons" — because Hogan opposed construction of the Purple Line as a candidate.

Many Montgomery County residents who voted for Moore for governor on Tuesday told Patch they voted for Hogan in previous elections.

The overwhelming majority of voters that Patch interviewed at the Walt Whitman High School precinct in Bethesda voted for the Democratic candidates in both statewide and local races. At the voting precinct at Potomac Elementary School on River Road, voters were more divided in who they picked for statewide and county offices.

The vast majority of voters at the two precincts said they voted in favor of the ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal. Some said they were surprised that Maryland was not one of the states at the forefront of the legalization movement.

"I do think for those over 21, it should be legal," a voter told Patch.

Related: Montgomery County Voters Switch Back To Democrat In MD Governor's Race

Moore is focused on creating economic opportunities, improving public schools and making health care more affordable. He also has an eye on transportation, social justice and climate reform.

Cox would lend a swing to the political right. His platform focuses on protecting gun rights and blocking abortions.

At an Oct. 12 debate, Cox said he wants "to make sure that everyone is safe, that women and children and the unborn all have equal protection and [are] supported by our laws."

Cox opposes "gender indoctrination" and teaching critical race theory, also known as CRT, in schools.

These stances earned Cox comparisons to former President Donald Trump (R), who endorsed Cox's campaign. And Hogan has called Cox a "QAnon whack job."

Moore, in turn, was endorsed by former President Barack Obama (D). Moore is also backed by the state's teacher, firefighter and police officer unions.

"My opponent likes to say he 'backs the blue,'" Moore said during the televised debate, according to Maryland Matters. "The irony of it is, the blue doesn’t back you, because the police officers have endorsed our campaign."

Maryland has twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans. That's why Moore is polling with a 30-point lead over Cox before Election Day.

A recent Baltimore Sun poll projected that Moore has 58 percent of the vote compared to Cox's 27 percent, Real Clear Politics reported.

That poll surveyed 989 likely Maryland voters from Oct. 20 through Oct. 23. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. That means there is a 95 percent chance that the actual portion of residents who share those beliefs falls within 3.1 percentage points in either direction of the values listed in the survey.

Cox's Controversies

Cox was criticized for paying $24,196 to host an event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Tickets cost $1,776. Donors could get a photo with Cox and Trump if they paid $25,000, The Baltimore Sun reported. Individual donors are only allowed to contribute $6,000 each to Maryland candidates.

Cox came under fire again last month. A video surfaced from his primary election victory party that showed him accepting a comb as a gift from a man who introduced himself as a member of the Proud Boys, The Washington Post reported. The Proud Boys are a group of extreme conservatives with ties to violence.

"In the noise of the victory celebration, it was hard to hear what was being said," Cox told The Post in a statement. "I was ... surprised by him handing me something, and frankly, I did not even keep the comb."

The Proud Boys are most known for their role in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Cox was not involved in the riot, but The Post said he promoted a bus trip to Trump's nearby "Stop the Steal" rally disputing the presidential election results.

"I have no affiliation with anyone involved in violence on January 6th, period," Cox said in his statement to The Post.

Cox has still been hesitant to say he will accept the results of Maryland's election.

"We're watching a perfect indication as to why Gov. Hogan called you unfit to lead," Moore said at the debate. "I'm standing onstage right now with an extremist election denier whose rhetoric and whose policies are not just dangerous and divisive, but will take our state backwards."

Moore's Controversies

Moore has also had a few controversies.

Moore paid $21,200 to settle a late water bill for his Charm City home, Baltimore Brew reported last month. Moore's team said the candidate was unaware that he owed money. The team also said Moore paid his balance in full as soon as he learned of the debt.

Baltimore City's water billing system is known for overcharging customers or not billing them at all. The Brew said Moore did not make any water payments for 18 months. The publication could not find any public records that Moore ever disputed the accuracy of the water bill.

Moore was also challenged earlier this year when reports questioned his claims that he was raised in Baltimore.

The Democrat wrote a best-selling book in 2011 called "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates." In that memoir, Moore described Baltimore like it was his hometown. He compared his life story with a Baltimore man of the same name who is serving a life sentence for killing an off-duty police officer, Fox45 Baltimore reported.

The news station said Moore was born in Washington, D.C. He then lived in Takoma Park before moving to New York City to attend the prestigious Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. Moore went to a Pennsylvania military academy for high school, and he said he went to Baltimore frequently while visiting his mother in Pasadena.

Moore later told Fox45 that he didn't live in Baltimore full-time until he enrolled at Johns Hopkins, where he became the university's first Black Rhodes Scholar.

"I'm not a Baltimorean by birth. There seems to be some confusion about that. But I'm a Baltimorean by choice," Moore said at a campaign event, according to FOX45. "This is the place where I came of age. This is the place where I found my home, and nobody has the right to take it away from me."

Fox45 said the publishing company, Random House, eventually took the blame for the error and said Moore brought the mistake to their attention.

"Some versions of the book synopsis of 'The Other Wes Moore' inaccurately identified Wes Moore as born in Baltimore. Flagged by the author at the time, a correction to the copy was missed upon its initial publication," Executive Publicist Karen Fink told FOX45 in a statement. "When notified again of the error early last year, Random House corrected all subsequent print runs of the book. We are proud to publish Wes Moore and to share the powerful story."

The Washington Post reported the book was also marketed as a potential text for teachers to use in the classroom.

Cox criticized Moore for the matter.

"I think Mr. Moore needs to come clean and the book needs to be withdrawn from the curriculum," Cox said, according to The Post. "It’s inappropriate to be presenting material that is really fictional campaign material as part of a curriculum, particularly this fall. I would at least like equal time because my campaign materials are truthful."

Election Details

Residents will head to the polls Tuesday for Election Day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Marylanders must vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day.

Voters using a mail-in ballot can still return their ballot by mail, as long as it gets postmarked by Tuesday. Residents can also return their mail-in ballot to one of these drop boxes in their county or hand deliver it to their local board of elections by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Visit wesmoore.com to read up on the Democrat and his running mate, former Del. Aruna Miller. Head to coxforfreedom.com to learn more about the Republican and his partner, former U.S. Naval Academy professor Gordana Schifanelli.

Related:

• Statewide, Maryland Democrats Outraise GOP Foes By Dramatic Margins
• Post-Primary, Moore And The Unions Come Together With No Overt Rancor
• Notes On The MPT Debate, And Where The Race For Governor Stands, Going Forward
• Day-After Gubernatorial Forum, Without Moore, Reveals 'Wide Range Of Opinions'
• Moore And Cox Sling Harsh Criticisms At One Another In Taut, Freewheeling TV Debate
• Cox Withdraws From 'Unite The Right' Event After Jewish Group Raises Concerns