MARYLAND, USA — Editor's Note: This is one installment in a series of profiles of the candidates running in Maryland's gubernatorial race leading up to the July 19 primary elections.
In less than two weeks many voters in Maryland will head to the polls, ahead of the general election in November, to help elect politicians in a number of races, including a tight race to replace Larry Hogan, who has reached his term limits.
To help prepare voters, WUSA9 is sitting down with both the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates to learn more about their platforms and priorities.
Wes Moore, 43, boasts a list of accomplishments. He’s a bestselling author, veteran, and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation. With experience in a variety of sectors, Moore believes he is the best candidate to lead Maryland as its next governor. In his campaign headquarters located in Bowie, WUSA9’s Larry Miller questioned Moore on some of the issues important to voters: the economy, gas prices and school safety.
ECONOMY & GAS PRICES:
Larry: “Mr. Moore, Good to see you.”
Wes: “Good to see you too.”
Larry: “This race is starting to tighten. It's getting more competitive. How do you see this playing out?”
Wes: “I'm incredibly excited about where we are. Just today, we received the endorsement from pretty much the entire Prince George's County council. You add that on to the fact we've received the support of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy and Steny Hoyer.”
Larry: “Families are paying more at the gas pump. They're getting slaughtered at the grocery store. It's tough out there. How does your administration respond to the needs of folks that are trying to keep food on the table and keep gas in the car?”
Wes: “I know we have to move with a sense of urgency to protect families, to protect Marylanders. We've gotta focus on getting people back to work. That means fixing a broken childcare system, which we are going to prioritize. It means job reskilling and job retraining. Getting people into the jobs of now and the future. It also does mean providing people a little economic relief."
Larry: “Are you suggesting checks for families?”
Wes: “I am suggesting we have to be able to deal with inflationary pressure by dealing with the supply side which means getting people back to work. It's one of the reasons, when I talk about my priorities, we're going to accelerate the minimum wage. There's no reason for us to get a $15.00 minimum wage by 2025.”
VIOLENCE
Larry: “What do you say to families about trying to keep them safe? What exactly will your administration do to ensure the crime rate comes down?”
Wes: “We need for the state to take it personally. And for the state to be a real partner with our local jurisdictions. That means getting at the root causes of why we are seeing so much crime. It also means figuring out parole and probation. Why we have a third of all people who are conducting violent crimes, are in some way shape or form, in violation of parole and probation. That's a state function.”
SCHOOL SAFETY
Larry: “Your position on SROs in schools?”
Wes: “I think SROs are local jurisdiction issues. Part of the responsibility of the state is to work with the local jurisdictions to be able to identify what's the right answer? What's the right response for that local jurisdiction.”