Moore’s endorsed – With more than 93% of the vote counted, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore won his Democratic primary decisively, and his campaign says roughly 200 endorsed candidates also either won or are winning. Political scientists say the results show Moore’s sway over fellow Demo
By the time Maryland election results were coming in with over 93% of the vote tallied, Wes Moore’s Democratic primary felt less like a race and more like a statement.
The governor had just one Democratic challenger, and the numbers suggested Moore easily trounced him. Not all votes are counted and not every race is decided. but his campaign pointed to a second win that reached beyond Moore himself: a roughly 200-candidate list of endorsements across the state where the campaign says the endorsed candidates either won or are winning. with a 93%+ win rate.
Some of those candidates were described as easy winners. Others were not. Adrian Boafo and April McClain Delaney, for example, were in tough, expensive congressional primaries. County executive contests in competitive primaries also drew attention—Will Jawando in Montgomery County and Julian Jones in Baltimore County. both holding leads.
For St. Mary’s College political science professor Todd Eberly, the endorsement count is the detail that stands out most. He said the outcome suggests Moore’s influence inside Maryland’s Democratic ranks runs deeper than approval ratings.
“It really shows that, despite having an approval rating hovering right around 50%, he’s got some sway over Maryland Democrats,” Eberly said. “I’ve got to think that the Moore team comes out of last night feeling pretty good.”
That sway could matter for what comes next in Annapolis. During Moore’s first term, lawmakers were sometimes willing to push back—overriding vetoes and occasionally defying the governor’s preferred legislative course.
Eberly said the question for a second term is whether lawmakers will be more collaborative, now that Moore has demonstrated how much weight his endorsement can carry.
“Maybe there’s a little bit of rethinking how popular Wes Moore is. the influence that he has. and whether or not you necessarily want to break with him. ” Eberly said. “He easily secured renomination. He demonstrated his influence among the electorate. demonstrated that withholding his endorsement can actually have an impact on an even very powerful member of the General Assembly.”.
He pointed to the race of Senate President Bill Ferguson. who won but not by the margin many would have expected given the scale of the office. Ferguson’s challenge was unusual: he faced a relatively unknown candidate without political experience. and his general outcome—Eberly stressed—did not match the implied advantage.
Moore notably did not endorse Ferguson. The two had clashed over redistricting earlier this year.
“It really shows,” Eberly said, explaining what he thought primary voters were doing with their votes. “Someone like Ferguson should not have faced any real challenge at all. This was primary voters angry with Ferguson over breaking with Gov. Moore over redistricting. Ferguson did what he thought was right. what he thought was the sort of principled decision. and primary voters sort of sent him a message here by giving 44% of the vote to a not really well-known or well-financed challenger.”.
The endorsement results may not yet tell the whole story—some votes were still not counted and some races remained undecided. But with Moore already clearly winning and the campaign touting 93%+ success among about 200 endorsed candidates. the message inside Maryland’s Democratic primary system looks hard to ignore: in this party. Moore’s support can move results. and withholding it can have consequences. even at the top of the state legislature.
Wes Moore Maryland politics Democratic primaries endorsements Bill Ferguson redistricting Adrian Boafo April McClain Delaney Will Jawando Julian Jones Montgomery County Baltimore County