“This is not the healing that the country needed in this moment”

Jen Rubin interviews Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on how to build bridges and what compels him to do so

Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) has been in office for just over two years, yet he has already made a big impression well beyond his state. That is due, in part, to his leadership in the aftermath of the Frances Scott Key Bridge collapse in March 2024. (By June, he was able to announce the Fort McHenry Channel had been cleared, far faster than many expected.) Moore, forty-six, is a Rhodes scholar, decorated combat veteran, financial entrepreneur, charitable foundation leader, and author of five best-selling books, embodies the “muscular progressivism” that I have written about (tough on public safety, focused on private sector growth, and determined to increase opportunity for all through smart investments in education, childcare, and health care.) His ebullient, sunny personality comes through, whether in a one-on-one conversation or a large gathering.

In an interview on Wednesday, Moore reflected back on the bridge collapse. “I will never forget that first morning—how cold it was and every camera in the world felt like it was there descending upon you. And you needed to give answers.” He rose to the occasion, laying down four markers: bringing closure to victims’ families; clearing the channel as fast as possible; protecting Marylanders from the economic fallout; and rebuilding the bridge. “Every bit of our work kind of went back to those four global goals,” he said. “And we're now on pace to accomplish all four” (with 100 percent of costs covered by the federal government). Soon, he will announce the “Progressive Design Build” and set a timeline to complete construction.

As somebody admired for his leadership, Moore describes two critical management principles: a “unified command” (i.e. appear with all partners at briefings, make certain everyone is on the same page) and “a regular communications cycle.” People get frustrated when the “only time they hear about things is when it's bad news.” A robust website, frequently updated, continues to provide reams of data on repair operations.

Moore acknowledges that his approach stems directly from his military training. “I'm a combat veteran. This is how we were trained to kind of operate… [where] the only certainty is uncertainty.” He adds: “There has to be a measure of predictability for the people who you're working with, especially in times of crisis when nothing feels predictable. They need to be able to rely on you to give you a predictable cadence.”

Given his military background (and success in bringing down crime dramatically in the state), his reaction to the pardons of Jan. 6 felons is unsurprising. “The violence that we saw on January 6 has no place in our society…the peaceful transfer of power is a cornerstone of our democracy.” (He notes that downstairs in the building in which he now works, George Washington gave up his commission after the Revolution.) “It is the foundation of our democracy.”

Exasperated, Moore states he cannot understand the rationale for the pardons and commutations. “On that day we saw police officers who were attacked, people were violently assaulted, and the Capitol building was desecrated. Now, we're in this process of seemingly rewriting history.” He adds that with the temperature so high, what the country needs “more than anything else is a sense of healing.” However, he emphasizes, “This is not the healing that the country needed in this moment.” He vows to protect Maryland residents from any released felons who might return to the state. “It's unfortunate that we are not going to have accountability for what happened that day and what happened to our law enforcement officers,” he tells me.

Trump’s gusher of executive edicts has spawned several lawsuits (with more certain to follow). Maryland joined one to block Trump’s unconstitutional, unilateral repeal of birthright citizenship. Regarding the “deluge” of decrees, he points out: “Some are frankly performative, and some, as you've seen from our lawsuit, are just unconstitutional.” He isn’t surprised at Trump’s attack on immigrants, given the tenor of the campaign. “This is actually a promise being honored, but is very personal to me.” He explains, “I come from an immigrant family. I was raised by an immigrant single mother. When these derogatory statements are being made about immigrants and their contributions to our society, it's deeply troubling because you know they're talking about people like my mom… my grandmother and my grandfather.” Moore recalls, “When [my grandfather] passed away at eighty-seven, he had a deep Jamaican accent. And he was maybe the most patriotic American I've ever met in my life.” He adds, “I just want us to have policies that reflect our values and reflect our highest aspirations.”

Democratic governors around the country are in a difficult spot. On one hand, they feel an obligation to call out Trump’s cruel, counterproductive, and illegal policies; however, they also must get the necessary support from the federal government. Moore’s answer is straightforward: “I think about the oath that I took, and not just the oath that I took when I was wearing the uniform of this country but when I stood in front of six and a half million Marylanders.” He continues, “I took an oath to protect the Constitution. I took the oath to protect the constitution of the state of Maryland and the laws thereof, and I took an oath to make sure that I was protecting the people of my state.” He remarks that his oath was not conditioned on having a Democrat in the White House. All of that requires, as best as he is able, to keep doing the people’s business. On the day Trump began dumping executive decrees on the public, he recalls, “I was in Frederick, Maryland, announcing school construction. [Then] I went to go announce the rebuilding of Interstate 15.”

During his short time in office, Moore’s state went from 43^rd in the country in employment to one of the lowest rates of unemployment. He raised the minimum wage, made historic investments in childcare, oversaw a precipitous drop in homicides, and quadrupled apprenticeships. He wants to focus on delivering for working and middle-class people, a critical message for all Democratic governors.

Yet some policies, such as national energy policy, depend in large part on federal policy. He says the country got “spoiled” by a president who not only understood climate change but was determined to invest in green energy. “The IRA [Inflation Reduction Act] was a landmark piece of legislation,” he says. Leading a state that has seen huge investments in renewable energy, including off-shore wind generation., he remarks, “[A]n energy future that that should include solar and wind—I don't think that's a radical concept.” Likewise, he says there is nothing radical about giving car consumers options like electric and hybrid vehicles.

Moore is blunt that what most surprised him coming into office was how “messy” state government was. The economy had stalled, with budget growth outpacing economic growth. “We inherited a massive structural government,” he explains. “You saw this level of atrophy that came from all elements of state government, the vacancies that were here, the lack of accountability.” He was taken aback by “the brokenness that we saw within state government … and the lack of attention to detail that we walked.” He jokes, “As they say in real estate, we inherited this house ‘as is.’” (On his first day in office, he discovered a horrific scandal involving allegations of abuse at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.)

To address the budget crisis, Moore set out to “grow our economy and get more people engaged and involved in our economy.” At the same time, he had to show state residents that they “could have a government that could be modernized and efficient.” There is work to be done but in January he was able to announce a budget that “reduces the structural deficit by $2.25 billion for FY 2026, maintains a Rainy Day Fund balance of 8.0%, and flips the projected cash shortfall of $2.95 billion to a positive cash ending balance.”

Moore would be up for reelection in 2026. He has tried to damp down chatter about a presidential run. For now, his enthusiasm and military sense of organization will be essential as we navigate through the Trump years. If he does that successfully, few doubt he will one day be a contender for president.