Author Wes Moore won his race for governor of Maryland on Tuesday, becoming the third Black person ever elected governor of a U.S. state, the Washington Post reports.
Moore, a Democrat, defeated his Republican opponent, a businessman, lawyer, and state delegate. As of Wednesday morning, Moore had 59.8% to Dan Cox’s 37.1%.
Moore is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan before working in investment banking and television production. In 2010, he published his first book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. The book contrasted Moore’s life with that of another man named Wes Moore, a drug dealer serving time for armed robbery. A critic for Kirkus called it “a testament to the importance of youth mentoring.”
Moore went on to publish several other books, including The Work: Creating Success in New and Meaningful Ways and This Way Home, a young adult novel co-written with Shawn Goodman. His most recent book, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City, co-written with Erica L. Green, was published in 2020.
“It is not lost on me that I’ve made a little history myself here tonight, but I also know that I wasn’t the first one to try,” Moore said in his victory speech. “The history that matters most to us is the history that we, and the people of this state, are going to make together over the next four years.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
