Governor candidates Wes Moore and Dan Cox will meet in October debate

Gov. Wes Moore will face his Republican challenger, Dan Cox, in a televised debate in October, both campaigns announced Wednesday.

The candidates will face off on Maryland Public Television on Oct. 6.

The candidates ran against each other for Maryland’s top job in 2022 and debated ahead of the November election.

“We’re glad that Dan Cox has accepted our challenge,” Carter Elliott IV, a Moore campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.

Cox confirmed in a statement that he’s game for the preelection matchup but said he wants more Moore — debates that is.

“Marylanders deserve more than one debate and an opportunity to hear from both candidates before and while voting is underway,” Cox said.

Moore is seeking a second term and working for a repeat of his 2-1 margin in 2022. Polling in August put him ahead of Cox by 27 points. The Democratic governor has also amassed an $8 million campaign war chest to a little more than $130,000 for Cox.

Cox won the crowded Republican primary in June.

After his win, Cox said he was looking forward to the rematch and promised “to renew Maryland to save our beautiful state,” citing rising energy costs and the yet-to-be-rebuilt Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore as faults in Moore’s leadership. Cox pledged to audit state agencies and slash taxes.

Elliott said Moore is looking forward to sharing his administration’s accomplishments since he took office in 2023.