Maryland Gov. Wes Moore launches reelection campaign in Baltimore

BALTIMORE - Gov. Wes Moore formally began his reelection race Saturday afternoon, touting his bipartisan work to "leave no one behind" in Maryland while speaking in Baltimore.

At the B&O Railroad Museum, Moore said he learned to leave no one behind when he joined the military at age 17, and since then, it's become "a governing philosophy."

"It's a philosophy that says we don't have to choose between winners and losers. It's a philosophy that says delivering results is never zero-sum," Moore said.

"Breaking false choices" was a theme in the first stump speech of the governor's reelection campaign. One of those false choices was between supporting law enforcement and supporting communities in Baltimore in the effort to reduce violence in the city. Since taking office, Moore said his record funding of local law enforcement while partnering with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and State's Attorney Ivan Bates helped bring down city homicides to record lows.

Maryland's homicides have dropped 50% since 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland in January.

Scott spoke before the governor and recalled his time working under former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, who made him wait months before getting a meeting. Now, by contrast, "pretty much a day doesn't go by" where Scott and Moore don't speak, he said.

"On Day 1, the governor said, ‘I know you all have a plan. How can we help?'" Scott said. The governor's support for Scott's efforts with his office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the Baltimore Police Department were investments integral to bringing the city's homicide rate down.

Moore, often a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his administration, said Saturday the White House has "launched an all-out assault on the state of Maryland."

Moore referred to Trump's campaign promises to bring down prices, release the Epstein files and keep the U.S. out of foreign wars.

"Strike one, strike two, strike three," Moore said. "Elected officials in the White House right now are grifting the American people so they can line their pockets. They're asking Marylanders to pick up the tab. … Here [in Maryland], we do not bend the knee. We are built different."

Moore sought to draw sharp contrasts between his and Trump's government on voting rights, kitchen-table costs and immigration enforcement. Though the governor did not reference signing the Community Trust Act on his desk, he said: "We believe we can both keep our communities safe and still follow due process and still follow the Constitution."

For his Baltimore audience, the governor said he would continue "the greatest public safety turnaround story" in the country and "complete major projects with speed and safety and cost savings."

"By the way, Baltimore, that includes the Francis Scott Key Bridge," Moore added, to applause from the crowd.

The state dropped its main contractor for the Key Bridge rebuild this week, fueling concerns over the project's timeline and budget. Though the governor once called the rebuild the "fastest-moving large infrastructure project in the United States," costs have surged from $1.8 billion to at least $5.2 billion, and the expected completion has slipped from 2028 to as late as 2030.

In boosting his bipartisanship bona fides, Moore spoke about his work with the "lifelong Republican" mayor of Westernport, which was struck by historic flooding in 2025. Moore said he and Mayor Judy Hamilton surveyed the damage together after the storm, met with neighbors and "stood by each other every step of the way." FEMA denied the Western Maryland disaster relief funding that summer.

Former Republican state Del. Dan Cox lost to Moore in the 2022 general election after winning his party's primary. Cox filed to run for governor again this election cycle.

"New Yorker Wes Moore is too expensive, too dangerous and too arrogant to continue to lead our state," Cox wrote in a statement to The Baltimore Sun on Moore's campaign launch.

"Marylanders are being fleeced by his massive tax increases; young people and retirees alike are being forced to leave our state in droves. Law enforcement has its hands tied and we have a governor who lies about everything from rebuilding the Key Bridge to his Bronze Star," Cox said.

Cox added he would cut property taxes and car registration fees if elected, as well as "bring back accountability and safety to Maryland."

Another of Moore's Republican opponents, Ed Hale, did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

The governor will host a similar launch and rally in Prince George's County later Saturday at Prince George's Community College's Performing Arts Center in Largo.

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