Democrat Candidate for Maryland Governor Appears Set to Decline Debate Ahead of Election

John HaugheySeptember 1, 2022

The big debate in the Maryland governor’s race between Democrat Wesley Moore and Republican state Del. Dan Cox is whether the two will actually share a stage to debate.

Democrats have a 2 to 1 voter majority and Moore has a 10 to 1 fundraising advantage. He is heavily favored to defeat a controversial candidate whose primary campaign was bankrolled by Democrats eyeing an easy mark in November.

Cox, 47, a conservative attorney endorsed by former president Donald Trump in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, has eagerly accepted invitations to debate his Democratic opponent, including on Sept. 27 at Morgan State University (MSU).

Moore, 43, a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger war veteran and investment banker with the vocal backing of TV maven Oprah Winfrey, has declined at least two debate requests, including from MSU, which is the largest of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

President Joe Biden spearheaded an Aug. 25 rally in Rockville, Md., on behalf of Democratic candidates including Wesley Moore (R) who is heavily expected to win his Nov. 8 Maryland gubernatorial race against Republican state Del. Dan Cox (R-Frederick). (Courtesy of Wes Moore for Maryland)

From a tactical standpoint, debates rarely provide an advantage for clear frontrunners in political campaigns.

Not only do Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in Maryland, but first-time candidate Moore’s campaign has raised more than $10.5 million, ten times what the Cox campaign has garnered.

It’s a good bet in the general election that Cox’s campaign won’t receive the $1 million it got from the Democratic Governors Association during his GOP primary race against Hogan-endorsed former Maryland Labor and Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz.

The gambit in undermining the moderate Schulz in the July 19 primary was that Cox is too conservative, too linked to Trump (who