Wes Moore elected as Maryland governor

Democratic candidate Wes Moore is projected to win Maryland’s gubernatorial race against Republican challenger Dan Cox, becoming the state’s first Black governor.

The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m. ET.

Moore is the former head of an anti-poverty nonprofit and the author of autobiography “The Other Wes Moore.”

He was the expected winner of the governor’s race in Maryland, a state that has historically been led by Democrats.

Cox was endorsed by former President Trump in the race and was a prominent 2020 election denier who helped organize buses for rioters who headed to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Moore will replace retiring Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who is stepping down after completing two terms.

Hogan on Tuesday night tweeted that he spoke to Moore and congratulated him on his victory.

“There is no higher calling than public service, and no greater honor than to serve the people of this great state,” Hogan wrote. “Our team is committed to ensuring a smooth and orderly transition to the next administration, and I look forward to meeting with the governor-elect in the coming days.”

Moore was born in Takoma Park, Md., and mostly grew up in New York City. He was raised by his mother, a Jamaican immigrant.

Despite facing childhood challenges, Moore graduated with degrees from both Valley Forge Military College and Johns Hopkins University.

He also earned a degree from Oxford University and became a Rhodes Scholar in 2004.

Later, he joined the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne unit and deployed to Afghanistan and served as a White House Fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice under the George W. Bush administration.

In his campaign announcement video last year, Moore noted how he managed to overcome a deck stacked against him, a chance that he said many in Maryland don’t have.

“Opportunity is readily available to some, and dangerously absent to others,” Moore said. “Here in Maryland, we have some of the nation’s most prosperous communities and some of its most impoverished. … I believe that no matter what road you start down, you deserve a path to success.”

Moore had to overcome a crowded Democratic primary in the race to replace Hogan, a moderate Republican whose retirement from the governor’s mansion gave Democrats a chance to recapture full leadership of the state.

Moore managed to beat back challenges from Maryland comptroller Peter Franchot and Tom Perez, a former U.S. Secretary of Labor and former Democratic National Committee chair.

Perez congratulated Moore for “making history in Maryland” on Tuesday night.

Moore wasn’t the only elected official to make history in Maryland on Tuesday.

Aruna Miller will be the first ever Indian American and first South Asian woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of any U.S. state.

She will also become the first immigrant to hold statewide office in Maryland, according to NPR.

Miller was born in Hyderabad, India and immigrated to the United States when she was seven years old, according to her official bio. She became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

A graduate of Missouri S&T, Miller was previously a Maryland State House delegate.

Sarakshi Rai contributed. This story was updated at 9:58 p.m.