Wes Moore declared victory in Maryland's Democratic primary in remarks Saturday, a day after NBC News projected him to have won the race.
At a field office in Baltimore, in front of his campaign, the media and his family, Moore thanked supporters and said he was committed to being a governor for all Maryland residents. His speech ended shortly before 5 p.m.
An author who held a virtual fundraiser with Oprah Winfrey, Moore would become Maryland’s first Black governor if elected in November.
His closest competitor Tom Perez, a former U.S. labor secretary who previously served as chair of the Democratic National Committee, conceded and said, “I congratulate Wes Moore and Aruna Miller on their hard-fought victory. Now is the time for us to unite, and I look forward to aggressively working with them to flip Maryland blue this November."
A day earlier, Perez had called for the count of mail-in votes to continue.
State election results show Moore had won 34% of the vote as of Saturday evening, with Perez at 28% and state comptroller Peter Franchot trailing in third place at 22%.
Franchot conceded in a statement issued Friday afternoon.
“I congratulate Wes Moore and Aruna Miller for running a successful campaign and becoming the Democratic nominees for governor and lieutenant governor. With voting rights, Roe v. Wade, health care, common sense gun control, climate change and economic stability becoming the key issues of this moment, it is vital that Marylanders come together to elect a Democrat to be the next governor,” he said.
NBC News projected Moore's victory Friday morning.
Moore is set to face far-right Republican Del. Dan Cox in November.
Cox said in an interview with News4 that he will extend ex-President Donald Trump's policies, challenge COVID-19 restrictions and restrict abortion if elected governor.
View Maryland Primary Results Here
Moore, 43, is a Baltimore resident and father of two who was born in Takoma Park and grew up in Maryland and New York City, according to his campaign website. His priority issues include the economy, education, civil rights, climate and public safety, the site says.
Moore is a former Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and the former CEO of a national anti-poverty group.
He has said recent Supreme Court rulings have illustrated how “massively important” it is for Democrats to regain the governor's office.
“Governors matter in this moment, now more than ever before, because governors are really a last line of defense that many constituents are going to have against just barbaric rulings that we’re seeing from this Supreme Court," Moore told The Associated Press.
The election results are expected to be certified on July 29. If the counting of mail-in ballots continues, results may not be certified until August.
