Wes Moore, a famed author and former nonprofit executive who campaigned as a political outsider, won the Democratic primary for governor of Maryland.
Three days after the end of the vote, the Associated Press declared Mr. Moore the winner on Friday evening against Tom Perez, former secretary of Labor and chairman of the Democratic National Committee; Pierre Franchot, State Comptroller; and six other candidates.
Mr. Moore, a best-selling author who for a time hosted a show on Oprah Winfrey’s cable network, presented himself as a dynamic newcomer in a race in which his main rivals were all veterans of Maryland or of national politics. In addition to Ms. Winfrey’s endorsement, he had the support of Democratic leaders in both houses of the Maryland legislature and three members of the state’s congressional delegation – a strong showing for a first-time candidate.
Mr. Moore, who would become Maryland’s first black governor if he wins, will be a heavy frontrunner in the general election against Dan Cox, a Republican state lawmaker who was endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Cox has amplified a range of election conspiracy theories, and during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, he called Vice President Mike Pence a “traitor.”
Democrats are seeking to retake the governorship of Maryland after eight years in which it was held by Governor Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican who is among the nation’s most popular governors.
Mr. Hogan, who backed Mr. Cox’s rival in the GOP primary, is barred by state law from running for a third term. Despite his popularity, he was unable to transfer his support to Kelly Schulz, a longtime ally who served in his cabinet for seven years. Mr Hogan said on Wednesday he would not support Mr Cox.
The results of Maryland’s Democratic primary for governor, along with a number of other key races, were delayed because state law prohibits mail-in ballots returned by mail or in Drop boxes are counted for two days after election day.
On Thursday, election officials from across the state gathered to begin the painstaking process of inspecting and opening mail-in ballots, allowing campaigns to review ballots that raised questions and make pass the ballots through the voting machines. Mr Perez gained ground as the mail-in votes were tallied, but in the end it was not enough.
Mr. Moore won the primary despite questions about the veracity of the biography he presented. He’s not from Baltimore, as he claimed, and his tenure as a nonprofit executive in New York was marked by an episode in which his assistant was fired after a dispute over pay. overtime for the personal work she was doing for Mr. Moore.
Unlike a host of recent Democratic primaries, the party’s contest for governor of Maryland did not elicit stark ideological differences among the candidates. Instead, the race focused on the candidate who could build coalitions across ideologies.