BALTIMORE — More than a half-dozen Democrats are seeking to be the state party’s nominee for governor, hoping to capture the Government House for the first time since 2015.
Polling shows Comptroller Peter Franchot, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, and author and nonprofit CEO Wes Moore leading the pack.
WJZ caught up with the three front-runners the day of the primary election.
Peter Franchot
Peter Franchot crisscrossed the state greeting supporters. He’s been in state government longer than any other candidate for governor.
“Sometimes the party’s get so narrow in their thinking and adversarial in their approach that most of the people in the middle are left out,” he said.
Franchot, comptroller since 2006, has focused on economic issues. A close election may not be decided for weeks because Maryland cannot count mail in ballots until Thursday — a situation Franchot called unacceptable.
“Elect someone like myself who actually is going to create a competent state government that doesn’t have this kind of train wreck,” he said.
Tom Perez
Tom Perez spoke outside a Baltimore County polling location about how his candidacy is gaining momentum.
“These late-breaking voters, I think, really understand the importance of someone who can hit the ground running,” Perez said.
Perez is a former national chair of the Democratic Party and was secretary of labor under President Barack Obama.
He spoke about reducing crime in Baltimore.
“We’ve got to build stronger partnerships with the federal government,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure the state is a better partner.”
And he said Baltimore deserves a governor who won’t bash the city’s problems and instead, work to fix them.
Wes Moore
Wes Moore’s campaign traveled to Prince George’s County, Howard County, Baltimore City and then Baltimore County on Tuesday. He’s trying to cast a wide net in order to get even more votes.
“This is a day that we’ve been waiting for, for 14 months now,” Moore said. “Where it’s the last opportunity for voters to make their voice heard we have endorsed last more
Moore has the support the state teachers union and met up with them at a polling location in Howard County. He’s also received some high-level endorsements from politicians like House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who decided to step into a state political race.
Senate President Bill Ferguson describes Moore as a transformative candidate who can galvanize talent to move Maryland forward.
“What we need at the top is somebody that can put a bold vision forward and then execute it with a great team around them,” Ferguson said.
Moore believes he should be the one who rises to the top.
“As someone who’s a third-generation Marylander, I know these issues firsthand, and so we move with a sense of urgency,” he said.
There have been questions about Moore’s experience level. He’s answered by saying he served in the military, he’s been a CEO of a small company, along with the CEO of a major nonprofit.