ON THE DNC STAGE, WES MOORE PUSHES PATRIOTISM: Gov. Wes Moore, leaning into his background as a U.S. Army veteran, made a case for Democrats to seize back the concept of patriotism from Republicans during his convention speech Wednesday night, embracing an inclusive definition of loving your country. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
- Moore also spoke passionately about the Key Bridge collapse and the immigrant Americans who lost their lives. Watch Moore’s full 7 minute convention speech on PBS-News Hour by clicking here.
- “While many said it could take 11 months to reopen the Port of Baltimore, we got it done in 11 weeks. Because that is the story of America,” Moore told delegates and the nation. “We are a nation of patriots who serve when the mission is hard and who serve when the destination is uncertain.” James Matheson and Taylor Nichols of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
- Moore’s speech held familiar themes for Marylanders, arguments about service, patriotism and perseverance, but now in defense of a Harris-Walz administration. It was a standard performance for Moore tucked among memorable moments from other speakers. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
Wes Moore, left, works on his computer Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention. Photo from Moore’s Facebook page.
OFF STAGE, MOORE CAPTURES A WIDER AUDIENCE: During convention week, Moore has stopped by at least seven state delegation breakfasts so far, and the ritual each time is very much the same: An enthusiastic introduction from a party leader. A high wattage greeting from Moore. A recollection by the governor of a recent visit and/or a connection to the state — before the Georgia delegation on Wednesday morning, for example, he recounted his basic Army training at the former Fort Benning. “I left a lot of sweat and tears in that soil,” he said. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- Be it young Gen Z voters, Black men, veterans or the wide swath of people who don’t see how politics works for them, Moore is using his charisma and personal narrative in both highbrow and lowbrow ways to persuade them to show up to vote. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
HARRY DUNN, AVATAR FOR DEMOCRACY: The last time Harry Dunn attended a Democratic National Convention, it was 2012 in Charlotte, N.C., and he was on duty with his fellow U.S. Capitol Police officers. This week, Dunn, a Marylander, is at the convention again, as an avatar for democracy. He travels throughout the country, dispatched by the Democratic National Committee and the Biden campaign — now the Harris campaign — to rally law enforcement officers and warn about what he sees as the threat to democracy if former President Donald Trump returns to power. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND LAWMAKERS SAY BIDEN SECURED LEGACY BY STEPPING ASIDE: As the Democratic Party switches leaders from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris, Maryland lawmakers say the president’s political legacy was secured by his decision to end his reelection bid. “He’s the savior, and history will look back on him – the way we look back on Jimmy Carter – as having been a great president who was not always appreciated in his time,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Maryland, told Capital News Service on the floor of the Democratic National Convention. Katherine Wilson of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
RANDOM NOTES FROM THE CONVENTION: PELOSI DROPS IN , MUSKRATS AND MORE: Delegates from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the Democratic National Convention are being joined by a mascot this week: Earl the Muskrat. Earl may have had one of the best seats in the house for former President Barack Obama’s speech from the perch of a 3-foot-high “VOTE” sign that a Maryland delegate proudly held in the air. James Matheson, Daniel Stein and Katherine Wilson of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
BLUEPRINT YEAR THREE: A FINANCIAL STRUGGLE AWAITS: When Maryland public schools welcome nearly 890,000 students back to classes in the coming days, it will also be the beginning of year three of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s sweeping education reform plan. But the plan’s future is suddenly up in the air, as state and local lawmakers are raising new concerns about its costs in a time of budget uncertainty. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
SEEDS HARVESTED TO RESTORE BAY GRASSES: Processing submerged aquatic vegetation to find seeds ready for planting in the Chesapeake Bay’s tributaries is akin to panning for gold and, on Tuesday morning, buckets of harvested sago pondweed were ready to be screened through a spin in Arundel Rivers Federation’s SAV turbulator, a Jacuzzi-sized machine that agitates harvested grasses to separate seeds from plant stems. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
BA CO’s ‘HUSH-HUSH’ RAINWATER PLAN FOR OLSZEWSKI’s HOME: Baltimore County was ready to spend about $300,000 to build a storm drain system that would divert rainwater away from the private residence that County Executive Johnny Olszewski and his wife built a block from the Chesapeake Bay. The planned installation was “hush-hush, need-to-know from day one,” said a former permitting official, who noted that the project’s name, “Baylight @ Chesapeake Ave. drainage restoration,” was designed to obscure its real purpose. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
POLL FINDS McCLAIN DELANEY-PARROTT RACE A TOSS-UP: A new poll shows that the race for the open 6th Congressional District seat in Western Maryland is a toss-up three months out from the election. The survey, released by former Del. Neil Parrott, the Republican nominee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee, shows Parrott trailing Democratic nominee April McClain Delaney, who had 42% of the vote to Parrott’s 40%. Another 4% went to other candidates and 13% said they were undecided. Staff/Maryland Matters.
CARROLL LAWMAKERS TO HEAR FROM RESIDENTS ON RELIABILITY PROJECT: Residents will have a chance to share concerns about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project with Carroll County officials during a listening session set for tonight at the Agriculture Center in Westminster. It will include the Board of Carroll County Commissioners and members of the Carroll delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is a proposed transmission line that would carve a 70-mile-long path through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties. Thomas Goodwin Smith/The Carroll County Times.
