Democrat Wes Moore on election win making him first Black governor of Maryland

Judy Woodruff:

One highlight for Democrats this year was flipping three governor's mansions from red to blue.

Joining me now is one of those winners, Maryland governor-elect Wes Moore. He is the state's first Black governor, and he will be the only sitting Black governor nationwide.

Congratulations, governor-elect Wes Moore.

(LAUGHTER)

Judy Woodruff:

Thank you for joining us.

So, your predecessor, Governor Larry Hogan, has already given you a tour of the state capitol. Tell us, what shape is he leaving the state of Maryland in for you?

Wes Moore (D), Maryland Governor-Elect: Well, I'm thankful that the governor has been great about making sure that we are going to have an orderly and a smooth transition.

And, also, the governor was also very clear from early days about what he felt was going to be the danger of this of this MAGA movement, this idea that election denying was going to be a path — a political path forward. But I think the thing that we saw within this whole election, and I think, when you look at the results of the election, that we were able to win — this has been the largest margin in a Maryland governor's race of victory in 40 years.

And I think we were able to win Democrats, we were able to win independents, and we were able to win a large chunk of Republicans because the state is just ready to go fast. The state is ready to be bold. And the state, frankly, is ready to have a government and have a governor's office that understands that the priority should be, is it a good idea, instead of, where does the idea come from?

Judy Woodruff:

Well, speaking of that, you have talked about a long list of needs from Maryland, and you put together a pretty ambitious list of things that you want to get done, including an even greater expansion of free pre-kindergarten in Maryland…

Wes Moore:

That's right.

Judy Woodruff:

… on top of offering to compensate high school graduates for college if they take part in a service year.

Can you get all that done?

Wes Moore:

As a leader, Judy, I am data-driven and heart-led, right?

I like getting into the weeds and the details of this stuff. And the reason that we are going to get pre-K for every child in need in the state of Maryland done is not just because it sounds good. It's because that's where the data leads us, that 80 percent of brain development happens in a child by the time that child is 5 years old.

So we have got to make sure we're starting earlier. The reason that I say we're going to have a service year option for every single high school graduate — they have the option of doing a year of service in the environment, in education, serving veterans. It will be their choice. It's not because it sounds good. It's because the data contains to show that this will help address the college affordability crisis.

I'm a big believer in experiential learning. And the third reason is because service is sticky. Those who serve together generally stay together. And I saw that in my own time in the military. I had people who I served with in Afghanistan who were coming and door-knocking with me. Many of them weren't even Marylanders. Many of them weren't even Democrats, but they were just knocking on doors to say, let me tell you about the guy that I served with.

Service is sticky, and Maryland is going to lead.

Judy Woodruff:

And you have also talked about a so-called baby bonds program that would operate like a trust fund for newborns of poor families.

Tell us the rationale. How would this work?

Wes Moore:

We have got to address the issue of child poverty.

There is no reason for a state as affluent and wealthy as ours to still be dealing with the — with the challenge of child poverty, especially in a case where the destinies of our children is being determined before they even have a say.

But we have to make sure that it's not just about the ideas, that we actually have policies that are giving people an opportunity to go from one place to another, to be a state where we can go where opportunity and ambition actually have a chance to meet each other.

Judy Woodruff:

You have also talked about a number of other things, including affordable housing.

My question is, how do you pay for this? I mean, you have even — you have also talked about cutting taxes, but isn't it more likely that you would have to raise taxes to pay for everything?

Wes Moore:

It's not.

And one of the things I — I went into this campaign with a core understanding of is that I have been a public servant for much of my life. I haven't — I just haven't been a politician. I have run a successful small business. I ran one of the largest poverty-fighting organizations, and we know how to leverage capital.

And if you look at this moment right now in the state of Maryland, we are a state that has a structural surplus. We are a state that has billions of dollars that are earmarked from the federal government that are actually, again, specifically targeted towards these type of issues, infrastructure, education, $3.9 billion that's earmarked towards discretionary spending.

We have new forms of capital that are coming on board, everything from cannabis to sports betting. So we have new utilizations of capital that we have to put to use, in addition of leveraging private capital.

Judy Woodruff:

We mentioned that you will be the state's first Black governor. We know you will also make history as the nation's only fourth ever Black governor.

We know a number of other Black candidates for statewide office didn't make it this year who were running for Senate or governor, Stacey Abrams, Cheri Beasley, Val Demings, Mandela Barnes. Is the Democratic Party doing enough for Black candidates right now?

Wes Moore:

You know, I'm really thankful because, last Tuesday, the state of Maryland sent a message.

And let's be clear. This is a state that is the state of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman and Thurgood Marshall. But it's also a state that understands that progress is not — is not inevitable, but progress is possible.

And when I think about what happened last Tuesday, I'm grateful. Not only did we win. It's how we won. If you look at every single demographic, if you look at the fact that we won areas of Maryland that were urban, rural and suburban, that we were winning areas in Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, I think it was because, at this time and in this moment, this state was ready.

Judy Woodruff:

And in terms of the other candidates I mentioned who didn't make it this year, I mean, does that say something about where we are as a country right now?

Wes Moore:

I think that we know that the history of this country, that it's been a journey, but that it's been an uneven journey.

And you don't have to look any further than the state of Maryland to understand the complications of racial history. I — what I do know, though, is, as a state and what we saw here in the state of Maryland was that we had to be unafraid to approach it. We had to be unafraid to talk about it, but we also had to be unafraid to know that, if we're going to move forward as a collective in the future, we could not be constrained by the past.

We had to invest in those and making sure that people had the right to vote, but also making sure that we were giving people something to vote for. And, as a party, yes, it means that we have to be able to support candidates who are coming up who might come from differing and diverse backgrounds.

Judy Woodruff:

You have said that you will support President Biden if he runs for reelection, but, if he doesn't, your name is already out there as one of the people, the names being mentioned. Would you think about it?

Wes Moore:

I would not.

I'm excited to support the president in his reelection. The importance of having a strong partnership between Maryland and Washington, D.C., is going to be crucial. This is going to be Maryland's decade. This is going to be Maryland's time to lead. This is going to be Maryland's time to grow, Maryland's time to compete.

And, to do that, we're going to need strong partners in Washington. And I'm excited to — I'm excited to have six more years of the Biden administration to be able to do just that.

Judy Woodruff:

Governor-elect Wes Moore of Maryland, congratulations again. Thank you.

Wes Moore:

Thank you, Judy.