4 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
4 candidates · ballot order · Wes Moore currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Making Maryland 'more affordable and competitive.'
Protecting Marylanders 'from what we're seeing from the folks in Washington.'
Economic growth and reducing crime, the two things he led his re-election announcement with.
Closing the state's budget gap without abandoning service commitments.
Continuing the criminal justice measures of his first term, including his mass pardon of cannabis convictions.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Governor of Maryland since January 2023; the state's first Black governor.
U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan; former chief executive of the Robin Hood Foundation; author.
Issued a mass pardon covering roughly 175,000 cannabis convictions.
Proposed a $70.8 billion budget closing a deficit of more than $1.5 billion for fiscal 2027; analysts have warned future gaps remain.
Maryland had a roughly $5 billion surplus when he took office in January 2023 and faced a $3.3 billion deficit by the 2025 session.
Democratic legislators overrode him on reparations and climate legislation in December.
Won the June 23 2026 Democratic primary with about 88.3%.
Arguments in favor
His campaign is built on making the state 'more affordable and competitive' while protecting Marylanders 'from what we're seeing from the folks in Washington.'
— Wes Moore for Governor campaign
He led with economic gains and crime reduction in his re-election announcement, and closed a more than $1.5 billion deficit while producing a balanced budget.
— Wes Moore for Governor campaign, as reported by CBS Baltimore
'This is a person who has personally organized buses of insurrectionists to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6... who spread Trump's lies about the 2020 election' — the contrast with his opponent is the argument.
— Wes Moore, on Dan Cox
Arguments against
His approval ratings are 'flat' and state audits show 'sign after sign of mismanagement of this government.'
— Steve Hershey, Maryland Senate Republican leader
He risks becoming 'distracted by national Democratic politics' — including 2028 presidential talk — rather than focusing on Maryland's problems.
— Jason Buckel, Maryland House Republican leader
His claim to have turned a deficit into a surplus does not survive scrutiny: Maryland had a roughly $5 billion surplus when he took office and a $3.3 billion deficit by the 2025 session.
— Fox Baltimore's Spotlight on Maryland
What we couldn’t verify
His official campaign website could not be verified, so no URL is listed.
How he would close the projected out-year budget gaps that analysts say his fiscal 2027 budget leaves untouched.
Whether he would commit to serving a full second term amid 2028 presidential speculation.
Cutting building costs and reducing state mandates.
A crime crackdown so residents feel safer.
Building what he calls a stronger education system, and greater government accountability.
Protecting constitutional rights and improving government transparency.
Alignment with President Trump's agenda; he opposed COVID-19 lockdown measures as a legislator and has criticised certain school curricula.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Republican nominee for governor of Maryland in 2022; lost to Wes Moore by about 32 points.
Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Frederick County; attorney.
Organised buses of Trump supporters to Washington for January 6 2021 and tweeted that Vice President Mike Pence was a traitor for certifying Joe Biden's victory.
Backed claims that the 2020 election was stolen; he later told the Baltimore Banner that Biden 'probably' won.
Endorsed by Donald Trump in 2022.
Won the June 23 2026 Republican primary in an eight-candidate field.
Arguments in favor
He would cut income, property and estate taxes and reduce state mandates and building costs, in a state facing a budget gap driven by spending.
— Dan Cox for Governor campaign
He is prioritising a crime crackdown and a stronger education system, with more accountability for how state government spends money.
— Dan Cox for Governor campaign
He beat a seven-candidate field to win the nomination a second time, which his backers treat as evidence he holds the Republican base in a state where the party has struggled.
— Maryland Republican Party, as reported by Maryland Matters
Arguments against
'This is a person who has personally organized buses of insurrectionists to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6... who spread Trump's lies about the 2020 election and who still to this day thinks that Donald Trump is the president.'
— Wes Moore, Democratic nominee
His 'shameful role in helping to stoke the insurrection will always define him and his efforts to rewrite history on January 6th and his affiliation with QAnon will not fool anyone.'
— Maryland Democratic Party
He is too conservative for Maryland — the same argument that produced a 32-point defeat in 2022.
— Wes Moore for Governor advertising campaign
What we couldn’t verify
His official campaign website could not be verified, so no URL is listed.
How he would cut income, property and estate taxes while closing a budget deficit of more than $1.5 billion.
His current position on the 2020 election result: he has said Biden 'probably' won, which sits against his earlier statements.
Green Party candidate for governor of Maryland in 2026; certified for the general election ballot by the Maryland State Board of Elections.
One of five independent and third-party candidates, out of 17 filers, to qualify for the November ballot.
Has not held statewide office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
His policy positions could not be established; no campaign website or platform document was located, so standsFor is left empty rather than filled in from the national Green Party platform.
His running mate for lieutenant governor could not be confirmed.
No advocacy for and no criticism of him by name could be found, so no arguments are listed on either side.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Democratic incumbent Wes Moore is seeking a second term. Roster established from Wikipedia's race page, Ballotpedia, Maryland Matters, CBS Baltimore, WTOP and the Baltimore Banner, cross-checked. In the June 23 2026 primaries, Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller won the Democratic nomination with about 88.3%; former state Delegate Dan Cox, the party's 2022 nominee, won an eight-candidate Republican primary. This is the first Maryland gubernatorial rematch since 2010; Moore beat Cox by about 32 points in 2022. Maryland elects governor and lieutenant governor as a joint ticket: Moore runs with Miller, Cox with Robert Krop. Of 17 independent and third-party filers, five were certified for the November ballot; the gubernatorial ones are Andy Ellis of the Green Party and Cathy White of the Working Class Party, running with Cathy Permut. Write-in candidates have until October 15 to file and will not appear as printed names. Sources disagree on who else ran in the Republican primary — accounts name Ed Hale Sr., John Myrick, Carl Brunner and Douglas Larcomb among the eight — and the primary percentages could not be retrieved.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
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