As he seeks reelection, how has Wes Moore delivered on his promises?

Gov. Wes Moore, widely expected to win a second term on Tuesday, made several promises since taking office four years ago.

Like every Maryland governor, he’s in charge of the budget, tens of thousands of state workers and countless programs, from managing fish populations to repaving highways and funding schools.

And Moore has his own initiatives and to-do list. Here’s a look at the progress he has, and hasn’t, made so far.

Eradicating child poverty

What he said: “We can, and we will, end child poverty in the state of Maryland,” Feb. 1, 2023, in his first State of the State speech.

Where it stands: As of 2024, the most recent data available and from before Moore’s efforts really got under way, about 11% of Maryland children lived in poverty, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KidsCount survey. That reflected a decline from nearly 14% child poverty 10 years earlier.

What’s at play: Moore reconstituted the Governor’s Office for Children and charged it with attacking the poverty problem. He passed the ENOUGH Act in 2024, which sends tens of millions to programs in neighborhoods with high rates of child poverty.

At the same time, children and families have been hit by federal cuts and rules changes to safety-net programs, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, making the work even more challenging.

Building the Red Line in Baltimore

What he said: “If we can put everything in place, we’ll be able to begin construction in 2026, 2027, and we’re going to move as fast as humanly possible to be able to complete this,” June 15, 2023, at an event in West Baltimore relaunching the project.

Moore also said at the time that he intended to have the line complete while he’s in office, which would extend through January 2031 if he wins a second term.

Where it stands: The Red Line would be an east-west transit line across Baltimore, filling a hole in the city’s mass transit network and making it easier for residents to get to more locations for jobs, such as the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn or Johns Hopkins hospitals.

But construction hasn’t started, and details haven’t been settled, including the exact route. Moore envisioned the Red Line as a light rail route, but the state is considering pivoting to bus rapid transit instead. There’s funding in the state budget for continued planning, but not yet for construction.

What’s at play: Whatever the state builds, and whenever it builds it, federal funding will be crucial, and that’s a less-than-certain thing with the current federal administration and Congress. The state also has competing needs for its own pot of money for transportation projects, which is known as the Transportation Trust Fund.

Rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge

What he said: Soon after a cargo ship struck and toppled the bridge in 2024, state officials said the rebuild would cost about $2 billion and could be done by 2028.

“The Dali struck the Key Bridge during my tenure, yet I plan on being the governor who cuts the ribbon to reopen the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Moore said this spring on the two-year anniversary of the disaster.

Where it stands: Late in 2025, the project’s cost ballooned to $5 billion and the timeline was pushed to 2030.

Then, this spring, the state pulled out of a design-build contract with engineering company Kiewit, citing cost concerns.

The state broke the project up into multiple pieces and is still in the process of awarding new contracts. The bridge build now could stretch beyond 2030.

What’s at play: As with the Red Line, federal funding is crucial to the Key Bridge. After some wrangling in Washington, Congress voted to pay 100% of the rebuild cost, instead of the 90% funding that’s typical for such projects. Keeping that federal funding promise while navigating inflation will be a key challenge for the state.

Ensuring people feel safe in their communities

What he said: “In our administration, we will work with police and communities to ensure public safety. And we will make sure that we are keeping the illegal guns and these violent offenders off of our streets. In our Maryland, you will feel safe in your own neighborhoods and you will feel safe in your own skin,” Moore said at his election night victory party in Baltimore in 2022.

Moore has repeated the idea that people should feel safe in their neighborhoods and in their own skin many times since.

Where it stands: Whether one feels safe is certainly an individual opinion, influenced by many factors. But the raw crime numbers in Baltimore show a significant decrease in gun violence since Moore took office. The city recorded 133 homicides last year, the fewest since at least 1970.

In public opinion polling, public safety has fallen behind affordability and cost of living as a top issue for voters. In a spring statewide poll from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 6% of respondents said safety was their top concern, compared to 33% who said affordability and 15% who cited taxes and government spending. An April UMBC poll of city residents found that crime ranked third as an issue, behind energy costs and poverty and homelessness.

What’s at play: Gun violence and crime have dropped across the country coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. And there is only so much the governor can do when it comes to influencing crime trends in local jurisdictions. But Moore being a Democrat means that by default his working relationships with city leaders are better than that of his predecessor, the Republican Larry Hogan, and public safety officials regularly laud close coordination across agencies and governing branches.

Making Maryland ‘the state that serves’

What he said: “We will continue to make Maryland the state that serves,” Feb. 7, 2024, State of the State speech, one of many times he has promoted this idea.

Where it stands: About one-third of Marylanders engaged in formal volunteer opportunities and more than half helped others informally in 2023, the year Moore took office and the most recent data available.

What’s at play: Moore created the Department of Service and Civic Innovation, which runs the Maryland Corps for adults and the governor’s signature Service Year Option for young adults. Both programs match participants with government and nonprofit programs for a year of paid service.

In the first three years, 1,200 people participated in the two service programs at more than 300 partner employers. The fourth class launched in September.

Expanding internet access across the state

What he said: “By the end of my first term, I want this entire state wired with internet access from Ocean City to Oakland,” Oct. 16, 2023, at a Greater Baltimore Committee event.

Where it stands: Maryland has two jurisdictions — Baltimore City and Talbot County — where 100% of the area has access to high-speed internet, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development. The other 22 jurisdictions have funding in place for projects to connect all residents to internet access.

The state estimates that 13,500 residents lack access to high-speed internet, down from 67,400 when Moore took office.

What’s at play: The state continues to chip away at the issue with a combination of state and federal funding. Last fall, for example, Moore celebrated a new Verizon tower on Smith Island, which brought reliable cellphone service and internet to the remote Chesapeake Bay community.

Though Moore initially said he wanted universal access by the end of his first term, state Housing Secretary Jake Day has more recently said that 2030 is the goal.