Wes Moore's wait-and-see approach

How race and identity are shaping politics, policy and power.

Jan 17, 2023 View in browser   By Brakkton Booker With help from Jesse Naranjo, Jesús Rodríguez, Rishika Dugyala and Teresa Wiltz Gov.-elect Wes Moore leaves the state's Senate Chambers after a visit during the start of the Maryland General Assembly's annual 90-day session, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Annapolis. | POLITICO illustration/Photo by AP What up, Recast fam! New reporting on who visited the Trump White House in the closing weeks of his administration, why those in the vice president's orbit say Kamala Harris may be the biggest winner of the midterms, plus President Joe Biden honors the NBA's defending champs, the Golden State Warriors. First, though, we chop it up with a man on the precipice of history.    Wes Moore will be sworn in as Maryland's governor on Wednesday at noon. He'll be Maryland's first Black governor, and just the third Black person elected to a state's chief executive office in this nation's nearly 247-year history. And even before he won handily in November, his candidacy inspired great expectations: He was endorsed by President Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, and some of his backers floated hopes for a run at higher office. A Democrat, Moore bested his Republican opponent Dan Cox by a 33-point margin, receiving what he says is a mandate from voters to implement his vision that will bring about a healthier and wealthier Maryland. This 44-year-old Army veteran and former head of an anti-poverty organization has only been a politician for a few short months, but he has already mastered the art of delivering upbeat responses that are short on specifics. He promises to tackle existential challenges such as ending childhood poverty. He hopes to improve transportation in the state and attract more workers to fill vacancies within Maryland's government. But he shares few details, instead encouraging folks to follow the items outlined in his first budget, set to be delivered to the Maryland General Assembly later this week. Then-gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore talks with city residents before helping at a food distribution center at the Ruth Kirk Recreation Center, Sept. 16, 2022, in Baltimore. | Win McNamee/Getty Images We talk about Maryland's recent legalization of recreational marijuana and advice he's gotten, from the most recent Black governor, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and from the nation's former first family, the Obamas. ◆◆◆ This interview has been edited for length and clarity. THE RECAST: Obviously I've spent quite a bit of time with you on the campaign trail. While you were running it seemed like you didn't really want to focus on the history you yourself were going to make, but rather the historic nature of the entire Democratic ticket you were running on. But now that you are about to step into history, how are you embracing this moment? MOORE: We're gonna see it on Wednesday. Wednesday morning, we're having a wreath laying down at the [Annapolis City Dock] a few blocks away from the state capitol. It's one of the earliest slave ports in the United States. I'm starting the day with an understanding and a remembrance of how far we have come, but at the same time with a clear understanding of how much further there is to go. I think about the history-making element and it still very much sits on me. But really how we've spent the past eight weeks since this election has been really about drilling into the details of what are the things that we have to do quickly and often to be able to make the lives of Marylanders better. Democrat Wes Moore speaks to supporters during an election night gathering after being declared the winner of the Maryland gubernatorial race, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Baltimore. | Julio Cortez/AP photo THE RECAST: I recently spoke with former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. I know he's an adviser for you, but obviously the two of you have a shared history. Can you just give me a sense of how those conversations with him have impacted you? MOORE: They've been wonderful. And I am so grateful to call him a mentor and a friend. He's not just insightful; he's sober about the moment. He reminds me — and he's right — that this might be the story now, but understand, the first few weeks in, that's not the story anymore. Then it's about your governance, then it's about what you got done. It's about how you're working with the legislature, how you're working with county executives — that's the new story. I think the big thing that he's been pushing on, which he's absolutely right and I appreciate is, never forget that you are going to have entire teams focusing on the governance piece, do not forget to focus on the family, as well.   Power dynamics are changing.With The Recast, you'll get a twice-weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe to the newsletter here.   THE RECAST: I mean, that's huge, right? We've chatted, too, about this before, how if your campaign was successful, you may be the only first Black family in the nation. What do you teach your kids about what this moment means, having your kids live in Maryland's governor's mansion? MOORE: So special. I mean think about it, every governor since 1870 has lived in Government House with their families. The people of this state gave my family the honor of being next. Just a few weeks ago, the Hogans [current Gov. Larry Hogan and his wife Yumi] were kind enough to give us a tour of Government House. Watching our two kids go around the house, picking out which room they wanted to be theirs is a [moment] that I'll never forget. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, center, and his wife Yumi Hogan pose for photographs with Maryland Gov.-elect Wes Moore, his wife Dawn Moore, and their children Mia and James in front of Government House on Dec. 16, 2022, in Annapolis, Md. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images I think for our kids, understanding that, yes, they are an extension of the fact that something different and special and unique is happening in the state of Maryland — and not just Maryland — has hardly ever happened in this country. But it is also important for them to be able to be as unaffected by this as possible. And to understand that, as I told them, that they are never in a room that they don't belong in, and that they have to be comfortable knowing that every room they are in, it's because they belong in. THE RECAST: Have you sought advice from former President Barack Obama? He cut a campaign ad for you. MOORE: He has also been great in terms of guidance and counsel and advice. I think some of the counsel that both he and the former first lady Michelle Obama have given me and my wife has been invaluable. THE RECAST: Is there anything specific you can share? MOORE: Well, one thing I do think is important is that the pace of governing is going to be real. They highlighted that it's not just the decision-making and everything that's going to happen; it's that you live in a place that's a public venue. Some of the counsel they've given is to make sure that as all these decisions are made that you're keeping that 11-year-old and that 9-year-old in mind and about how things might have to adjust to make sure things are comfortable for them. THE RECAST: You published an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun earlier this month, vowing that 48 hours after you are sworn in you'll submit your first budget to the General Assembly laying out your priorities. You also alluded to the more than $2 billion surplus the state has, and noted that these funds will be spent equitably, but also with an eye toward fiscal responsibility. There may be some people, when they see your budget, who will say, "Come on now, Gov. Moore, given this surplus, you can be giving out more than state funds." What's your response to them? MOORE: If you look at the legislative priorities and the legislative agenda that we're gonna be laying out, people will see that this is going to be the most ambitious agenda that we have seen a first-year governor present in recent history. We are going to attack the social justice issue of child poverty, we have to. That we are going to make our state more competitive, we have to. Maryland Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller, left, talks with Gov.-elect Wes Moore inside the Maryland Senate Chambers during the start of the General Assembly's annual 90-day session, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Annapolis. | Julio Cortez/AP Photo We are going to address the issue of education, and we also know that we have to come up with transportation assets that can actually move people from where they live to where they work, we have to. However, the thing that I do want people to understand is, being ambitious does not mean being reckless. We have a budget surplus, but there's three reasons why: One is because of the extraordinary market movements, particularly in equities. The second piece is we've had a pretty historic amount of federal dollars that are now flowing into state budgets — hitting upwards of $100 billion. And we're looking at a historic number of vacancies within the state government. We need to budget accordingly, we need to be disciplined, and I think that's something that people can expect from my administration. THE RECAST: Maryland voters passed a referendum legalizing recreational weed, and your administration will be responsible for creating this apparatus where the state will be ready for business later this year. How will this work? MOORE: That is something that we will be [working with] the legislature during this session and something that we are going to have to lay out when we look at our budgetary agenda. That is how we're making sure that the process of the rollout of cannabis is going to be equitable, it's going to be transparent and it's going to be quick. We cannot have a process that takes 18 to 24 months to roll out, because if this goes on too long, what you're doing is you're inviting the illegal market back into it. Then you're going to run into some of the same challenges that some of these other states are having or have had. THE RECAST: Is this legislative session supposed to essentially eradicate the illegal market for weed? I mean, the Maryland recreational market is going to be so incentivized that people are going to say: "Hey, I'm not going to get my marijuana from my local weed man anymore. I'm gonna go to a legal dispensary where it's going to be taxed?" MOORE: This has to be something where, once we have everything in place when it comes to cannabis, from distribution, taxation and revenue returns, [if you're buying on the black market] then that, like any other illegal transaction, is now an illegal transaction. I think that's one of the reasons why, again, we want to make sure we're being transparent, equitable and quick within this process. THE RECAST: Well, how do you decriminalize this? On one hand, you're trying to decriminalize the selling and possession of weed, but if people are still going to the black market, is it going to be considered breaking the law? MOORE: People of the state overwhelmingly chose to decriminalize cannabis. So we as a state now have an obligation to make sure that the will of the people is both heard, but that we do have a swift and equitable rollout.   ICYMI @ POLITICO WATCH: President Joe Biden delivers a sermon at Martin Luther King Jr.'s church. Midterm's big winner? — POLITICO's Eugene Daniels breaks down why some say Vice President Kamala Harris is the biggest beneficiary of Democrats' better-than-expected midterms. WATCH: POLITICO's Jackie Padilla breaks down the Dr. Dre-Marjorie Taylor Green feud in an episode of "The POLITICO Show" on Snapchat. Airplane Lavatories — Why are airplane bathrooms the latest place the Biden administration is looking for clues on Covid variants? POLITICO's Krista Mahr has all the dirty details.   THE RECAST RECOMMENDS Set in 1980s rural Mississippi, new novel "Wade in the Water" by Nyani Nkrumah chronicles an unlikely female friendship. "Baton Bleu," a new poem by Ariel Francisco, meditates on longing, Florida and — wait for it — flamingos. After a long hiatus, Rihanna's back, giving us a trailer of her upcoming Super Bowl performance … can't wait. Clear your calendar Friday night: the movie "JUNG_E," following an AI lab researcher tasked with ending a civil war in a world made desolate by climate change, hits Netflix. "Lights, camera, action": A new music video from BIGBANG's Taeyang and BTS' Jimin is undoubtedly a "Vibe." A documentary premiering tonight remembers Zora Neale Hurston — a vanguard of the Harlem Renaissance — and her impact on literature and anthropology. The Weeknd drops an otherworldly visual for "Nothing is Lost," which features on the latest Avatar blockbuster soundtrack. TikTok of the Day: Try not to laugh   Follow us on Twitter Brakkton Booker @brakktonbooker Rishika Dugyala @rishikadugyala Teresa Wiltz @teresawiltz Jesús Rodríguez @jesusrodriguezb Jesse Naranjo @jesselnaranjo   Follow us

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