When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore rolled out dozens of election endorsements Thursday, one name was conspicuously off the list: Senate President Bill Ferguson.
The two powerful Democrats — who have tangled over congressional redistricting — had an agreement to endorse each other, but it fell apart over the issue in recent days, according to multiple sources familiar with the campaigns who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
The mutual agreement was made before the U.S. Supreme Court gutted part of the federal Voting Rights Act. Moore had expected Ferguson would be more open to redrawing Maryland’s maps to further favor Democrats and, when that didn’t happen, the governor yanked the endorsement, according to the sources.
The endorsement plan was in place as of last weekend.
Text messages obtained by The Banner showed Ferguson, his campaign manager and members of Moore’s team discussing the rollout of the endorsements as recently as Sunday. In the group chat, they discussed which pictures to use for campaign mailers and scheduled a meeting to hash out details.
Ferguson was in the audience Saturday at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore as Moore held a reelection campaign rally.
Ferguson’s campaign has not commented about the breakdown of the endorsement agreement.
“Governor Moore and Senate President Ferguson continue to communicate consistently, and work alongside one another to accomplish big things in Maryland,” Moore campaign spokesperson Carter Elliott IV said in a statement.
“The governor is proud of the work that they have accomplished together, and he will continue to work with him and his team to lower costs, continue record drops in crime, and make our schools even stronger.”
Endorsements are an important part of campaign strategy, with bigger names offering a visibility boost to candidates and signaling to voters they should vote for them.
Ferguson has had to ramp up his campaign efforts, because he faces a primary challenge from social media personality and small-business owner Bobby LaPin for the waterfront Baltimore district. Ferguson has gone years without meaningful opposition.
The campaign and redistricting disagreements have tested the relationship between Ferguson and Moore, two of the most powerful politicians in Maryland.
Moore has put much of his political capital behind congressional redistricting, hoping to oust Maryland’s lone Republican in the House of Representatives, Andy Harris, to counter Republican gains in other states.
National Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have courted Moore’s help on redistricting, as the governor has built his profile — possibly for a 2028 presidential run.
Ferguson has insisted that redistricting is legally and politically risky. He convinced a majority of Maryland Senate Democrats to stick with him, and Moore’s proposed map never got a hearing or vote in his chamber.
During the recent General Assembly session, Ferguson showed up to a breakfast meeting between lawmakers and the governor with a campaign finance printout, showing donations top Moore aides had made to LaPin.
Throughout their public disagreements over redistricting, Moore and Ferguson have insisted they can work together on other policy issues.
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