MOORE’s SOS ADDRESS A MASH UP OF BRUISES, SUCCESSES AND HOPES: Gov. Wes Moore’s annual address to lawmakers laid bare the dust-ups and bruises after three years of working with a branch that serves as a check on his governing and the intractable forces bearing down on his state from Washington. Moore cannot control the federal government. He cannot bend the General Assembly to his will. Brenda Wintrode, Lee O. Sanderlin, Pamela Wood and Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Banner.
- Twenty-four hours after Moore said he would not use the speech to pressure Senate President Bill Ferguson on the redistricting bill, but would focus on issues of affordability and economic growth – which he did – he also quickly launched into comments about redistricting, as Ferguson sat behind him on the House rostrum. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- You can read a transcript of his speech here. Maryland Matters.
- And view it here. Governor’s Office.
- There was the formal introduction and entrance and the formality of smiles and handshakes between two people at odds over an issue just discussed. There were the applause lines, met dutifully with applause by an audience packed tightly into the House of Delegates chamber. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE’s COMMENTS ON REDISTRICTING IRRITATE SENATE DEMS: When Gov. Moore touched on redistricting in his State of the State address, he urged Senate President Bill Ferguson and the Senate not to “let the democratic process die” and to “debate … discuss … and put [the redistricting issue] to a vote.” Moore’s comments were a stark departure from pointedly pressuring Ferguson, but Ferguson and his Democratic Senate colleagues said that Moore’s remarks ramped up their beef on the issue. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
SEN. HERSHEY DELIVERS REPUBLICAN RESPONSE: Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey Jr. delivered the Republican response to Gov. Moore’s State of the State address. He began, “Earlier today, you heard Governor Moore deliver his fourth State of the State address and outline his vision for Maryland. … But, as this Governor enters his fourth year in office, Marylanders are entitled to more than vision. Results matter more. The Governor’s first State of the State was grand. The second was ambitious. The third was hopeful.Now, Marylanders are asking a very simple question: What has actually changed?” Staff/Maryland Matters.
INTERVIEW: MOORE ON WHITE HOUSE, TRUMP AND RACISM: Don Lemon interviews Gov. Wes Moore, the country’s only Black governor, who the Trump administration disinvited from an annual, normally bipartisan, White House governors dinner. After Trump’s recent tweet portraying the Obamas as apes, “it’s hard not to connect the two stories as overt, disgusting shows of racism aimed at some of the most prominent Black politicians in our country.” The video is just over 23 minutes. Don Lemon/Lemon Drop podcast.
COLUMN: WHITE HOUSE SNUB IS STRAIGHT-UP RACISM: The White House disinvited two people from a pair of events held during the National Governors Association. One of them is Colorado’s Jared Polis, the nation’s only gay governor. The other? Our very own Wes Moore. Everybody else is straight or white. Why? You know why. Leslie Gray Streeter/The Baltimore Banner.
TRUMP BACKS DOWN ON EXCLUDING DEMS FROM GOVERNORS MEETING: President Donald Trump has backed down from his decision to exclude Democratic governors from an annual White House meeting that has long been bipartisan, according to the National Governors Association. Mariana Alfaro/The Washington Post.
TRUMP ADMIN DROPS THREAT TO WITHHOLD FUNDS FROM MARYLAND SCHOOLS: The Trump administration has dropped its threat to withhold federal funding from Maryland schools if they did not eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion practices, Maryland’s attorney general announced Tuesday. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
ADVOCATES PROPOSE REMEDY IN VOTING RIGHTS IN MARYLAND: Daryl Jones thinks that “something is wrong in Maryland,” a state where more than half of all municipalities had prominent populations of color in 2024, but nearly a quarter had all-white governments, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. But Jones, board chair of the Transformative Justice Coalition, also thinks he knows the “remedy.” John Wicke/Maryland Matters.
MOORE AVOIDS TRANSPARENCY IN ALLEGED WRONGDOING IN STATE GOV’T: Gov. Wes Moore has repeatedly pledged transparency as a defining principle of his administration. But amid allegations of wrongdoing inside state government, Moore’s office has declined to answer some questions from Spotlight on Maryland and the outlet was not included on an email notification about a last-minute press availability. Tessa Bentulan/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: IT’s TIME FOR OPEN PRIMARIES: Over the last 15 years, the Democratic and Republican parties’ voter registration numbers in Maryland have not grown. Meanwhile, the number of independent voters in our state has nearly doubled. As independents become the state’s fastest-growing bloc, both major parties are struggling to remain relevant to voters. It’s long past time for them to meet the voters where they are. Open primaries are a first step. Terry Lierman/The Baltimore Sun.
HAPPY 250th TO FLAG-MAKING MARY PICKERSGILL: Mary Pickersgill, one of the city’s few female business owners, ran a flag-making shop from her Jonestown neighborhood home a few blocks from the harbor, stitching ensigns for sailboats and “colors” for the many militias headquartered around Baltimore during the War of 1812. Pickersgill, whose 250th birthday will be celebrated today, was about to stitch herself into history. The flags that she and her helpers constructed would wave over the fort during the Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become the nation’s anthem. Julie Scharper/The Baltimore Banner.
As someone that is in neither of the 2 abhorrent major parties of this country, we absolutely should be an open primary state. I still don’t understand how they steal our tax dollars to operate a closed Primary. You want a closed primary use your own fucking money like all the minor parties have to. Why do the libertarians not get a state funded closed primary? Or any other small party? How is that legal to shut out such a huge populace from participation and use my tax dollars to fund it?
But the Dem party of MD that can do no wrong and never get put out of office here is embolden to do whatever the hell they want to force their shitty policies on a populace that often does not want them and only panders to certain groups and special interests in this state. But DeMoCrAtS aRe BeTtEr. nah no way no how. Both parties shit on their constituents, are anti-freedom, especially so in states that are not purple.
Instead of so-called open primaries, Maryland should explore proportional voting.
Or how about this idea? Both.