MARYLAND, USA — Editor's Note: This is part of a series of candidate profiles leading up to Election Day. Check back daily for additional candidate profiles, including Moore's challenger, Dan Cox.
With the 2022 General Election rapidly approaching, WUSA9 wants you to be prepared before you head to the polls and cast your votes in races ranging from state comptroller to U.S. Senate seats and numerous ballot questions.
Get Up DC Anchor Larry Miller sat down with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore to discuss some of the biggest concerns for voters: the economy, taxes and crime. If elected, the 43-year-old would be Maryland's first Black governor.
An excerpt of that interview is below:
MILLER: How are you feeling?
MOORE: We're feeling good. We've continued to do what we've done during the primary which is to outwork everybody. The mentality we have on our campaign [is that] we are 10 points down every single day. What are we doing to makeup those 10 points?
THE ECONOMY
MILLER: Analysts are predicting we could dip into a rather deep recession going into the early part of next year. What are you going to do about that?
MOORE: The biggest thing we have to do in order to make sure our economy gets going again is that we need more participants in that economy. We have to get people back to work. That means, for our administration, we are going to prioritize fixing a broken child care system. And getting young parents back to work. Often times, you're not just talking about young parents. You're talking about women. Right now, Maryland has the 7th highest unemployment rate inside the country. But the irony of that number is that there are two available jobs for every single person in Maryland filing for unemployment. So, it’s not that we don't have a dynamic economy. We do. We're just not training our workers and our students to participate in that economy.
TAXES
MILLER: I've had the opportunity to speak with retired Marylanders all of whom say the reason why they voted for Mr. Hogan was because he was committed to lowering taxes and making the state easier for them to live in. You want people to come here. You want people to grow businesses here. But people look at the tax structure here and say its unattractive for them. What are you going to do about that?
MOORE: The State of Maryland right now is ranked 50th for places to retire. The worst in the country. That is something that will not stand in the Moore-[Aruna] Miller administration. That means we are going to look at tax rates."
MILLER: Does that mean tax cuts?
MILLER: First, we have no intention of raising taxes. But eventually, we do want to get to a point where we can actually lower taxes.
Crime
Crime is also a critical issue for voters, polling suggests. Prince George's County, has extended a curfew for minors. During its first month, county officials say crime fell by 13% with a 24% reduction in violent crime.
MILLER: How do you plan to tackle crime statewide?
MOORE: This all has to be partnership. The job of governor is not to look at the local jurisdictions and say do better. There's a real partnership. If we are going to prioritize getting and keeping violent offenders off of our streets. That has got to happen in conjunction with our local jurisdictions and also with our federal partners. We are going to prioritize things the state can uniquely do. For example, ensuring illegal guns are staying out of our communities and neighborhoods. That's something we do in partnership with our local jurisdictions and federal partners.
WATCH: Full 1-1 interview with Wes Moore.