ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Gov. Wes Moore said during his second State of the State speech Wednesday that Maryland has boundless opportunities but is “leaving too much potential on the table” as he charts a course forward through challenging times that includes a long-term plan for governing.
The address continued a narrative by the governor and others that a state often considered to be one of the nation’s wealthiest, benefiting from proximity to the nation’s capital, has been falling short of its potential.
Moore, a Democrat, began his speech by reflecting on his first year assembling a new government, after a rare two-term Republican governor in a heavily Democratic state. It was a year that had its challenges for a governor who had never held elected office before and pledged to bring change as the state’s first Black chief executive.
“We learned a lot of lessons, some hard lessons,” the governor said with a smile, bringing some laughs from members of the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, who gathered before him in the House of Delegates. “But solving big problems does not happen overnight. But let’s be clear, a change is happening, and today the state of our state, it is strong.”