Wes Moore

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

• His campaign says he and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller are "expanding pathways to work, wages, and wealth for every family in Maryland."[1]
• Says his first-term record deserves another four years, while saying there is "no doubt in my mind that there's more to do."[2]
• Says he wants "to make Maryland's public schools the best in America" and "to end childhood poverty once and for all."[3]
• Says Maryland has protected residents from federal actions that he says have cost jobs, tied up funding and raised prices.[2]
• Points to his record: his campaign says the state turned a projected budget shortfall into a surplus and that homicides fell 44% statewide.[4]

Background

• Governor (63rd), State of Maryland · 2023–present[5],[6]
• Chief Executive Officer, Robin Hood Foundation (anti-poverty nonprofit, New York City) · Four years (dates not listed on official bio)[5]
• Founder, BridgeEdU, a Baltimore company focused on the first year of college for underserved students (acquired by Edquity in 2018) · Until 2018[5]
• Author, Books including "The Other Wes Moore" (2010) and "Five Days" · 2010–[5]
• White House Fellow, advising on national security and international relations, The White House · After returning from Afghanistan in 2005[5]
• Officer (paratrooper), deployed to Afghanistan, U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division · Deployed to Afghanistan in 2005[5],[3]
• Finance positions, Deutsche Bank (London) and Citigroup (New York) · Dates not listed[5]

Education

• Associate degree, Valley Forge Military College (1998)[5]
• Bachelor's degree, International Relations and Economics, Johns Hopkins University[5]
• Master's degree, International Relations (Rhodes Scholar), Wolfson College, University of Oxford[5]

Where they stand

• Taxes
  Signed a 2025 budget that cut about $2.5 billion in spending and raised more than $1 billion in new revenue, including a 3% sales tax on data and IT services and a 2% capital gains tax. His campaign says 94% of middle-class taxpayers got a tax cut or saw no change. The 2026 budget he signed closed a projected $1.5 billion deficit without tax or fee increases, according to WYPR.[7],[4],[8]
• Energy & Environment
  Backs the Utility RELIEF Act, which he says will help households "save hundreds of dollars in their energy bill." Signed the 2025 Next Generation Energy Act, which includes faster procurement of new nuclear power.[8],[7]
• Abortion
  Supports abortion rights. In 2023 he signed bills shielding abortion providers who treat patients from states with bans and placing a constitutional amendment on reproductive freedom on the 2024 ballot, which voters approved.[9],[10]
• Guns
  Signed 2023 laws barring carry-permit holders from bringing guns into many public places, tightening who can get a concealed-carry license, and requiring safe storage of firearms.[11]
• Immigration
  Signed a 2026 law ending 287(g) partnerships between local law enforcement and ICE. Let the Community Trust Act, which limits when correctional officers can contact ICE, become law without his signature, saying parts of it must be clarified.[12]
• Elections & Democracy
  Supported redrawing Maryland's congressional map before the next census, saying the state should respond to other states' mid-decade redistricting. Says he would "100 percent support" national reform to end partisan gerrymandering.[8],[13],[2]
• Education
  Says the state is investing $10.2 billion in K-12 education this year and has set record school funding four years in a row.[4]
• Public Safety
  Says homicides fell 44% and non-fatal shootings 40% statewide during his term, and points to expanded eligibility for criminal record expungement.[4]

Voting record

Wes Moore has not held an office with a recorded voting record. See Background and Where they stand.

In their words