Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has been talked about as a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028.. File.
On CNN, Moore misrepresented Maryland’s economy | READER COMMENTARY
Originally published in the Baltimore Sun
During Gov. Wes Moore’s recent appearance on CNN’s “State of the Nation,” our governor claimed that Maryland’s economy is growing for the first time in a decade. As The Sun’s Candy Woodall reported (“Gov. Wes Moore doesn’t rule out 2028 run but says he’s focused on Maryland,” March 30), this clearly impressed host Dana Bash, causing her to say “that certainly sounds like something that would fit on a national platform campaign bumper sticker.”
Unfortunately, Bash failed to notice that Moore’s pants were on fire when he made that claim. While there have been a few quarters since the end of 2014 in which Maryland’s Gross Domestic Product shrank, they’ve been rare (and mostly during the COVID era). Overall, the Free State’s GDP has grown 55% over the last decade and 17% in real, inflation-adjusted terms.
Whether Moore was unaware that he presides over a consistently growing state economy or chose to misrepresent the facts in order to make himself appear more accomplished than he is, neither is a good look for someone who envisions a future national campaign.
Nor is it a good look that rival Virginia’s GDP growth rates — up 66% during the same period and 27% adjusting for inflation — comfortably exceed ours. Perhaps our governor needs to roll up his sleeves and make Maryland more truly competitive before he attempts to sell himself to a wider audience.
— Stephen J.K. Walters, Baltimore