Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, is running for a second term as Maryland's governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces three challengers: Dan Cox, a Republican; Cathy White of the Working Class party; and Steven Ellis of the Green Party.

Moore is the 63rd governor of Maryland and the state's first Black governor in its 246-year history, according to the governor's office website. He is one of only three African Americans elected governor in U.S. history.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Born: Oct. 15, 1978, in Takoma Park, Maryland, to Joy and Westley Moore
  • Family: Married to First Lady Dawn Flythe Moore; two children, Mia and James
  • Education: Associate's degree from Valley Forge Military Academy & College (1998); bachelor's degree in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins University (2001), where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and became the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the university's history; master's degree in international relations and affairs from the University of Oxford (2004)

Experience and public service

Moore served as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1996 to 2006, according to BallotReady profile data. He was a White House Fellow from 2006 to 2007.

His private-sector career includes work as a finance professional at Deutsche Bank, an investment banking professional at Citibank from 2007 to 2012, and an intern in the office of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, according to the governor's office website. Moore founded BridgeEdU, an education startup, and led it as CEO from 2014 to 2019, according to BallotReady.

During his tenure as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation from 2017 to 2021, the organization distributed over $600 million toward lifting families out of poverty, according to the governor's office website. He has also been an author with Penguin Random House since 2010.

Moore has served as governor since 2023.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from responses Moore submitted to BallotReady. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Healthcare: Moore said he will protect funding for community health centers that offer services such as cancer screenings and birth control. He said he supports the right to choose and will fight to protect it as governor.

Environment and energy: Moore said he wants Maryland to generate 100% clean energy by 2035 by reducing energy consumption, increasing investments in wind and solar developments, and investing in battery storage research and development. He said he supports a government-wide process in which agencies, local leaders and climate experts work together on climate challenges.

Public safety: Moore said he would combat gun violence by building partnerships across state, local and federal law enforcement, banning ghost guns and investing in community-based violence intervention programs. He also said he would reform Maryland's probation and parole system by filling vacant positions, strengthening supervision of high-risk individuals and connecting people to behavioral health treatment, housing and employment through local offices.

Transportation: Moore said his priorities include focusing mass transit improvements on the people who rely on it most, addressing the connection between transportation and public health, removing politics from transportation planning and implementing procurement reform.

Labor: Moore said he supports ensuring every worker has access to paid sick, family and medical leave.

Endorsements

The following endorsements were claimed by the endorsers, according to BallotReady profile data:

  • Maryland State Education Association
  • Maryland League of Conservation Voters
  • Baltimore Afro-American Editorial Board

Candidate positions were drawn from responses submitted to BallotReady. Voters can learn more about all candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot at BallotReady.com.