Wes Moore Makes History As Maryland’s First Black Governor
Democrat Wes Moore has made history as Maryland’s first Black governor, per the results of a race call provided by the Associated Press. The 44-year-old became the country’s third Black governor ever elected, joining Virginia’s Douglas Wilder and Massachusetts’ Deval Patrick.
The Takoma Park, Md. resident’s victory allowed a Democrat to take that seat once again after two terms of Republican Governor Larry Hogan. Notably, polls showed Moore had a double-digit lead over his opponent, Republican Dan Cox, who received an endorsement for former president, Donald Trump.
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While Wes Moore was very aware of the historical implications of his victory, he is more focused on achieving milestones when he takes office. “We’re not in this race to make history,” he said in October. “We’re in this race because we have a unique opportunity to make child poverty history […] We have a unique opportunity to make the racial wealth gap history.”
The new governor-elect was a longtime businessman and philanthropist whose platform was founded upon eliminating child poverty and committing to reproductive rights. Despite not being a career politician, Moore gained the support of Oprah Winfrey, President Joe Biden, and former President Barack Obama. Not to mention he is a Rhodes scholar and army combat veteran.
More history was made this election, as lieutenant governor-elect Aruna Miller, an Indian-American woman, became the first immigrant to hold statewide office in Maryland. Additionally, Massachusetts governor-elect Maura Healey became the nation’s first openly lesbian governor.
