Wes Moore – the bestselling author, businessman, nonprofit leader, and U.S. Army veteran—defeated various Democrats who were vying for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Maryland on Friday, July 22, 2022.
In another high-profile political competition, Ivan Bates reigned victorious over the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, Marilyn Mosby, and Thiru Vignarajah, who is a lawyer and politician.
“This morning I called Ivan Bates to congratulate him on his victory in the Democratic primary for Baltimore City State’s Attorney. My office is completely prepared to facilitate a smooth and orderly transition to the new administration,” Mosby said on Facebook. “I am grateful to my family and my colleagues in the State’s Attorney’s office for their commitment to our city and all their hard work on behalf of the citizens of Baltimore. We have so much to be proud of and I am forever indebted to so many for their love, support, and partnership over these past eight years. The opportunity to serve this city and the strong resilient people of Baltimore is the greatest blessing of my life and I am forever appreciative.”
In 2015, Mosby was pushed into the spotlight when she announced that criminal charges would be pursued against police officers in the Freddie Gray case. Gray was the Black Baltimorean who suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody. Legal problems surfaced in Mosby’s own life in 2022, when she was indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury charges related to her allegedly making withdrawals of her deferred compensation funds while falsely claiming COVID-19-related financial hardship under the CARES Act. Mosby was accused of lying about real estate transactions in Florida. Back in January, she maintained her innocence.
A new political focus has shifted to Bates. According to his website, Bates is an attorney, community leader and advocate who possesses more than “25 years of experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.” The managing partner of the law firm Bates and Garcia, LLC completed his undergraduate studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. before attending The William & Mary Law School in Virginia. Like Moore, the U.S. Army veteran turned to Twitter to comment about his nomination for Baltimore City’s State Attorney on July 22, 2022.
While Mosby lost her reelection chance to Bates, Moore’s ascent to edge closer to replacing Governor Larry Hogan was well-fought. He pulled off beating Maryland’s current comptroller Peter Franchot, and the “former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez,” in addition to John King, who is the former Education Secretary, and Maryland’s former Attorney General Doug Gansler. They were among Moore’s competitor’s, per CNN’s report.
Moore has a big push ahead while opposing Republican Dan Cox—the far-right Republican who is being endorsed by former President Donald Trump—when the golden time arrives for the Gubernatorial General Election in November. Cox is a Maryland state delegate. Moore is a bestselling author and “former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations” called Robin Hood Foundation, per his website. Additionally, the Rhodes Scholar and combat veteran’s book, “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates” was published in 2010.
Moore’s personal story takes a candid look at his life and another man’s who shares the same name. His namesake, who is the other Wes Moore, ended up serving time in prison. Although men shared some similar barriers in their formative years, their lives turned out differently. Moore was born in Washington, D.C, then reared in New York and Maryland, MSN reported. If he wins the gubernatorial race, he will become Maryland’s first Black governor.
Aruna Miller is the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor who “represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates” from 2010 to 2018, according to Moore’s campaign website. The Montgomery County resident who hails from India immigrated to the United States at the age of seven. Miller graduated with a degree in civil engineering but reportedly spent 25 years working at the local Department of Transportation in Montgomery County.
Mosby conceded in the Democratic Primary. Looking ahead, Bates will face an independent candidate in the race to become State’s Attorney named Roya Hanna. She is a Baltimore-based criminal justice attorney.
“I have more prosecutorial experience than any of the partisan politicians running for this race. I spent 12 years serving the citizens of Baltimore as an Assistant State’s Attorney. For 9 of those years, I tried murders and shootings– more trials than all of my opponents combined,” information on Hanna’s website revealed.
Hanna also has a crime plan that may interest voters as they decide who should earn their votes.
As more election poll results unfold, voters may begin to dig deeper into proposed goals and solutions of each candidate, starting with Moore, Miller, Cox, Bates, and Hanna. Read more about Moore and Miller via https://wesmoore.com/. Information about Cox can be found online at coxforfreedom.com. Bates’ website is https://www.batesforbaltimore.com/. Hanna’s website, https://www.electroyahanna.com/ provides more information about the candidate who wants to become Baltimore City’s next State’s Attorney.