COX CONCEDES; STILL STUMPED BY MASSIVE LOSS: Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox acknowledged on Wednesday that he is struggling to reconcile what he observed and felt on the campaign trail with the results reported by the state Board of Elections. Nonetheless, the Frederick County lawmaker phoned Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) to offer congratulations and to wish him well as the state’s new leader. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
- “While we always felt it might be a close race, the outcome was a complete surprise,” Cox said in his statement Wednesday. He said “internal data” indicated “a massive shift of swing voters our way” and strong Republican turnout, but neither materialized. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Cox had refused to commit to accepting the results of the race. He fought unsuccessfully in court to stop poll workers from counting mail-in ballots early. Cox, who has described the 2020 presidential election as “stolen,” that year demanded a federal audit of the presidential election and volunteered as a lawyer to block the certification of the results in Pennsylvania. Ovetta Wiggins/The Washington Post.
- Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s lack of support for the GOP candidate “will go down in history as disqualifying him from any future office as a Republican,” Cox said. Hogan is considering running for president in 2024. Moore said his brief phone conversation with Cox was “kind and cordial.” Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
ANALYSIS: THE UNDERPERFORMING COX: A quick analysis of the unofficial returns shows that Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox underperformed Larry Hogan’s 2014 and 2018 results in every county across Maryland. Amusingly, Cox also underperformed Hogan’s 2018 total by 18 percent in his home county of Frederick County. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR WES MOORE ADMINISTRATION: Universal prekindergarten. Ending child poverty. Raising teacher pay. Launching a statewide paid family-leave program. Accelerating the minimum-wage hike. Reviving the canceled $1.6 billion Red Line transit project. Closing the racial wealth gap. Subsidizing child care. … The coalition that Wes Moore rallied with a promise to “leave no one behind” has high expectations of the Democrat who will be Maryland’s first Black governor. Erin Cox, Ovetta Wiggins and Lateshia Beachum/The Washington Post.
- Shortly after stepping offstage at his victory party in Baltimore on Tuesday, Gov.-elect Wes Moore responded to questions from local reporters about his win and what comes next. Here’s a transcript of the Democrat’s remarks to the reporters. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- Moore will have to organize his government and executive team. And the clock is running. Moore has roughly 70 days until he is sworn in. During that time, the incoming executive will have to hire top advisers and Cabinet officials. He’ll also lay the groundwork to take office soon after the legislature begins its 90-day session and to advance some of his priorities. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record.
ANALYSIS: 7 FACTORS FOR THE MOORE WIN: How did the best-selling author and former non-profit CEO propel himself to victory? Wes Moore himself called it “an improbable journey” during his election night speech. But there were seven factors that he called on to put him on top. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
HISTORIC GOVERNANCE: Along with Wes Moore, who is the state’s first and the nation’s third Black governor, Maryland will see a series of other historic firsts after Democrats swept the top of the ticket Tuesday. They are the first immigrant and Asian American lieutenant governor in Aruna Miller, the first Black attorney general in Anthony Brown and, in Brooke Lierman, the first female comptroller and first woman directly elected to statewide office. Hannah Gaskill and Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
PARROTT LEADS TRONE; NOW THE MAIL-IN BALLOT COUNT BEGINS: Maryland’s most anticipated congressional race, a rematch between Rep. David Trone (D) and Del. Neil C. Parrott (R), remains uncalled as of Wednesday afternoon, and it may be a while before results are known. Meagan Flynn/The Washington Post.
- Parrott, a Republican, had a slight edge – about 4,500 votes – over his Democratic opponent by the time all 247 precincts in the 6th Congressional District had reported results to the state’s election board early Wednesday morning. But that could change when the district’s five counties finish counting mail-in ballots yet to be tallied. Angela Roberts/The Frederick News Post.
PITTMAN CONFIDENT OF OVERCOMING VOTE DEFICIT: Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) is currently trailing his challenger, County Councilmember Jessica Haire (R), by almost 11,000 votes. But Pittman on Wednesday was expressing confidence that when all the ballots are counted — especially the 45,000 or more mail-in ballots, which will begin to be tabulated on Thursday — he’ll win. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
KITTLEMAN CONCEDES TO INCUMBENT BALL: Republican Allan Kittleman issued a statement Wednesday afternoon conceding defeat in the race for Howard County executive to incumbent Calvin Ball, a Democrat. “In reviewing the election results that have been reported, it is clear that we will not be able to overcome our deficit when remaining mail-in ballots are counted,” Kittleman stated in an email. Sherry Greenfield/Baltimore Sun Media.
1 DEAD, 4 POSSIBLE ODs POSSIBLE AT STATE RUN JAIL: A 21-year-old man died at Baltimore’s state-run jail after he was found unresponsive in his cell on Monday. Then on Tuesday morning, four detainees at the jail suffered “possible overdoses” at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, according to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which runs the facility. Ben Conrack/The Baltimore Banner.
