After midterm elections on Nov 8, Democrat Wes Moore was elected as the 68th governor of Maryland, making him the first black governor of the state.

Moore, a former captain and paratrooper for the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne and the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a non-profit organization, is a Maryland-native who wants to see the best out of his home state. During his campaign, Moore made it his mission to listen to the quieter voices in Maryland.

“For too long, Maryland, we are leaving too many of our family and our neighbors behind,” said governor-elect Moore during his victory speech. “And so during this campaign, many of you have told me about so many of the challenges that you’re facing, and I want to let you know that I hear you.”

Issues, such as healthcare affordability, education, and crime, have been topics that have troubled Marylanders for quite some time, and Moore wants Marylanders to rest assured that he cares about the people and that he will work towards correcting those problems.

“I will never forget about you,” said Moore. “I will be thinking about you and all the people that we have met during this campaign every single day that I have the honor of serving as your governor.”

On Thursday, Nov 10, Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan, met with governor-elect Moore and shared his thoughts about the election and expectations as he passed the torch. 

“I was very pleased to welcome Governor-Elect @iamwesmoore to the State House,” Gov. Hogan tweeted. “We had a really productive one-on-one conversation. Our administration is going to do everything we possibly can to ensure a smooth transition of power.”- Via Twitter (@GovlarryHoggan)

During their conversation, Governor Hogan expressed his expectations for Moore. “I have been very impressed with governor-elect more, I know his heart is in the right place,” said Gov. Hogan, “I think he ran for governor for the right reason.”

Throughout his campaign and life, Moore emphasized that he believes that unity equals strength. Moore’s campaign’s core focus was to point out things keeping people divided and how he would fix and bring the people back together, such as health care rights and protecting women’s rights. 

“Maryland… you showed that if we stand divided, we cannot win–but if we stand united, we cannot lose,” Moore said. “When I was an Army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by a simple principle: Leave no one behind…Real patriotism means bringing people together. It means lifting each other up and improving each other’s lives. Patriotism means knowing that our country is great–and that if we do the work, it will be even greater. Tonight we celebrate, and tomorrow we get to work.”

In addition to his work as a captain, paratrooper, CEO, a White House fellow, and community leader,  Moore is also known for his groundbreaking novel entitled The Other Wes Moore, a compelling story about another man named Wes Moore who grew up right down the street from him in Baltimore his fate was the exact opposite of his; the other Wes Moore is currently in serving life in prison for a botched armed robbery.