Oprah-Backed Newcomer Eyes Upset in Maryland’s Crowded Democratic Gubernatorial Primary

Nine candidates on Maryland’s July 19 Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot seek the party’s nomination to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in November’s general election.

As of early July, the nine had collectively amassed more than $8.5 million in campaign cash, with six garnering at least $1 million each as Democrats try to claim the governor’s seat in a deep blue state where Hogan enjoyed bipartisan popularity.

The field features well-funded candidates with lengthy resumes reflecting national and statewide name recognition: a former U.S. Secretary of Labor, a former U.S. Secretary of Education, a former state attorney general, a former Clinton White House official, and a longtime state comptroller.

But it is a first-time candidate who has generated the most excitement in the race—with an assist from Oprah Winfrey—and he is leading the pack in fundraising and endorsements while polling among frontrunners.

Wes Moore, a Rhodes scholar raised by a widowed Jamaican-immigrant mother, U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Afghanistan combat veteran, White House fellow, best-selling author, and investment banker who, as chief executive of the Robin Hood Foundation, raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fight poverty, is toe-to-toe with more established rivals as Election Day nears.

The newcomer is vying for votes in a stacked primary that includes former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, State Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King, Jr., and Clinton White House official Jon Baron.

Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Franchot, elected to four consecutive four-year terms as state comptroller, speaks with voters on July 10 at the Southwest Baltimore County Democratic Club Picnic and Silver Spring Arts & Crafts Summer Fair. (Courtesy of Franchot for Governor)

The scrum survivor will face the winner of the Republican July 19 primary between Hogan-backed Kelly Schulz and

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