Cox Concedes, Moore Declares Victory As MD's First Black Governor

Editor's Note: This story was last updated Wednesday at 3:40 p.m.

MARYLAND — Republican Dan Cox conceded to Democrat Wes Moore Wednesday afternoon in the Maryland governor's election. Moore declared victory Tuesday evening as the Associated Press projected that he would become the state's first Black governor.

Cox said he called Moore to congratulate him on the projected victory.

"I wish Governor-elect Wes Moore and Lt. Gov-elect Aruna Miller and their families every blessing and success to ensure that he will keep his word and govern positively for all Marylanders," Cox said in a statement posted on social media. "I will pray for them and their new role for all of us."

Cox urged Moore to support first responders, lower taxes and avoid future lockdowns. These were some of Cox's top campaign priorities.

Cox expected a Republican wave this year, but the GOP did not turn out in droves as he anticipated.

"While we always felt it might be a close race, the outcome was a complete surprise," Cox said. "With people being forced out of their homes, losing their jobs over forced mandates, parents irate with what was happening in their schools, and whole communities overwhelmed with the daily murders and crime explosion, we are struggling to understand how Maryland could fail to turn out to vote on the GOP/unaffiliated side as is now being reported."

Cox hoped to succeed Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who reached his term limit and cannot run again.

Hogan was popular for his moderate policies. In 2018, he became the first Republican governor to be re-elected in Maryland since 1954.

Though they are both Republicans, Hogan and Cox traded jabs in recent years.

Hogan has called Cox a "QAnon whack job." Cox, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump (R), responded in his concession statement.

"President Trump is an American hero who stands for our America First values," Cox said. "Without him, we would not have raised the money necessary to run a competent and successful race because of Larry Hogan's failure to step up to support his party nominee and all its voters ... Governor Hogan's disrespect of the people of Maryland in his own party will go down in history as disqualifying him from any future office as a Republican."

This was Cox's first public comment since polls closed Tuesday evening.

Cox's running mate, Gordana Schifanelli, congratulated Moore and Miller earlier Wednesday morning. Schifanelli's congratulations came about four hours before Cox issued his statement.

"Congratulations to @iamwesmoore and @arunamiller on their election victory," Schifanelli tweeted Wednesday morning. "I sincerely hope they succeed in their promise to the voters that they will leave no one behind."

Moore vowed to bring Marylanders together.

"When I was an Army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by a simple principle: Leave no one behind," Moore told supporters Tuesday evening at his victory party in downtown Baltimore. "But for too long in Maryland, too many of our families and neighbors have been left behind."

Moore promised to unite a divided Maryland in a time of political division.

"You can't love your country if you hate half the people in it," Moore said in his speech. "Real patriotism means bringing people together. It means lifting each other up and improving each other's lives."

Marylanders also voted Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana, the Associated Press projected. Be sure to follow Patch's coverage of that referendum at the link below.

Related: MD Legalizes Weed, Updates On Referendum Vote Counts: AP

The Associated Press projected Moore's win immediately after polls closed Tuesday at 8 p.m.

This is just a projection based on Maryland's voter trends. The Associated Press, which is considered one of the most neutral and reputable news sources, was 99.9% accurate in calling U.S. races in 2020.

Unofficial tallies show that Moore has 906,765 votes to Cox's 562,331 with 2,066 of 2,074 Election Day precincts reported.

Moore is a former nonprofit CEO, an author and a political newcomer.

Cox, on the other hand, is a conservative who represents Carroll and Frederick counties in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Moore would offer a return to Maryland's typically Democratic ways after the state says goodbye to Hogan.

Democrats For Moore

In Anne Arundel County, Ruth Goldberg voted for Moore because "he's more progressive." The 63-year-old was also concerned about Cox's conservative approach.

"I can't even begin to say how ridiculous that I thought some of those things he said were," the federal government employee told Patch after voting at the Odenton Baptist Church. "It's a matter of credibility and integrity."

In Montgomery County, residents who previously voted for Hogan told Patch they voted for Moore on Tuesday.

The overwhelming majority of Marylanders 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.

Another resident who voted for Hogan in the previous two elections for governor said he thought Cox was too extreme. The voter, from Bethesda, said 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.

Republicans For Cox

Republicans rallied at the Fell's Point Fun Festival this weekend to try to retain the governor's office. At the Baltimore event, GOP supporters chatted with attendees about Maryland's future.

Blanca Tapahuasco was one of the volunteers cheering on Cox. Tapahuasco is originally from San Salvador, El Salvador.

Tapahuasco moved to Maryland in 1982 during El Salvador's civil war. She worries that Maryland could face a similar downturn if Moore wins.

"Mark my words, he will bankrupt us," Tapahuasco said. "And then they're going to say 'The Republicans should've spoke up.'"

Tapahuasco works four jobs to support her family. One of those jobs at a nonprofit required her to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which she did not want.

Cox has frequently criticized pandemic mandates, so the southeast Baltimore resident was eager to support him.

"I'm voting for Dan Cox because it's about freedom," the 51-year-old told Patch. "I had gotten the vaccine because I needed to keep my job. That's not freedom."

Tapahuasco, who used to be a Democrat, also questioned Moore's goal to address poverty. The issue-based voter called Moore "an arrogant individual."

"He lifted one person out of poverty: himself," Tapahuasco said. "You and I can't afford a millionaire to represent us ... Poverty needs a lift. Millionaires need humbleness."

Over in Anne Arundel County, Democrat Paul Rose is frustrated with the direction of the party. That's why the 81-year-old, who served in the Marine Corps, voted for Cox.

"I'm a registered Democrat, but I am not a fan of the Democratic Party right now," Rose said after voting at Arundel High School in Gambrills. "I think we have better opportunities and more concern about our citizens through the Republican Party than we would with the Democratic Party right now."

Jason Putnam, a Republican voting at the Odenton Regional Library, also cast his ballot for Cox. Despite Putnam's vote for the GOP, he is tired of the two-party system. He believes this pushes candidates to the extremes when most Americans are fairly moderate.

"Most of us, I think, are pretty middle-of-the-road people," Putnam said. "The parties have become sort of self-aware and they're driving themselves to the lunatic fringes. You can either vote for bad or oh my god that's much worse, right? Like, I can't remember the last election where they had a good candidate that I could believe in."

Candidate Platforms

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.

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 Democrats as Republicans. That's why Moore polled with a 30-point lead over Cox before Election Day.

A recent Baltimore Sun poll projected that Moore would take 58% of the vote compared to Cox's 27%, 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% 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 did promote 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 that 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."

Related:

• Joe Biden Stumps For Wes Moore In Pre-Election Day Rally At Bowie State University
• 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