Moore and Miller officially file for second term as 2026 field takes shape
Lt. Gov. Aruna miller joined Gov. Wes Moore at the Maryland State Board of Elections headquarters in Annapolis on Monday afternoon to file paperwork for a second term, one day before the 9 p. m. Tuesday filing deadline (ET).
Miller joins Moore at SBE filing in Annapolis
The Moore-Miller ticket made the trip to the SBE headquarters on Monday afternoon despite a state of emergency in place, filing their paperwork one day before the deadline to enter the 2026 governor’s race. Moore spoke to a small group of reporters inside the elections headquarters and reiterated that they are running for re-election after the first three years of his administration.
A governor laying out second-term goals
Moore described goals he ties to a second term — ending childhood poverty, boosting educational outcomes and growing the economy — and said he is excited about the results from his first three years in office. He has been described in the context provided as a once-political outsider who became a national media darling and who has rejected the notion several times that he will run for president in 2028.
Voters raise energy bills, audits and drug coverage
Concerns cited by voters include poor audits, money management worries in some agencies and sharply higher energy bills. One farmer told FOX45’s Spotlight on Maryland, "I don’t know if he has left us behind or if he has really even considered us. We’re not in his preview, I don’t think. " Another resident said, "My electric bill is close to $1, 800 a month. That has been a jump as well. We haven’t changed anything, we haven’t added more equipment, or anything, in the past few years. "
Political analyst John Dedie said, "There have been some people that have been left behind by the governor, " including some retired state employees "who lost their prescription drug coverage under the governor who chose not to fund that. " Dedie added that the campaign will come down to utility bills and whether candidates can explain what happened and sell their solutions: "The general, it's all going to depend on who the nominee [will be]. If it's Ed Hale, [Moore is] going to have to work a lot harder. If it's Dan Cox, if it's Dan Cox, he could travel to other states to campaign for people. "
Who else has filed for Maryland offices
The 2026 filing period also produced a long list of candidates across parties for governor and other major offices. The context lists the following for governor and other contests:
For governor — Democrats: Eric S. Felber; Ralph Jaffe (died Feb. 6. ); Wes Moore (incumbent). Republicans: Carl A. Brunner Jr.; L. D. Burkindine; Dan Cox; Ed Hale; Douglas Larcomb; John A. Myrick; Michael Oakes; Nancy Jane Taylor; Kurt Wedekind. Other: Andy Ellis (seeking Green Party nomination). The context notes Wes Moore is in, Dan Cox and Ed Hale Sr. are in, and Larry Hogan is out.
Other candidacies named in the provided context include Democrats Victor Allen Guidice; Dan Schwartz; George Walish; Randi White; and Republicans Chris Bruneau; Andy Harris (incumbent). Democrats Johnny Olszewski Jr. (incumbent); Clint Spellman Jr. were also listed. Additional Democrats named are Jennifer Cross; Austin Dyches; Sarah Elfreth (incumbent); Sean Hammond; Robert Gerald Morrison. Republicans listed include Ray Bly; Berney Flowers; John White.
More entries in the context include Democrats Joseph Gomes; Shavonne N. Hedgepeth; Glenn Ivey (incumbent); Jakeya Johnson; Jonathan D. White; and a long Democratic slate: Mark Arness; Rushern L. Baker III; Quincy Bareebe; Wala Blegay; Adrian Boafo; Reuben B. Collins II; Ellis D. Colvin; Harry Dunn; Arthur Ellis; Elldwnia English; Terry Antonio Jackson II; Harry Jarin; Walter Kirkland; Jerry Lightfoot; Heather Luper; James Anderson Makle Jr.; Leigha Messick; Keith Salkowski; Alexis Solis; Tracy Starr; Dave Sundberg; Harold Tolbert; Nicole A. Williams. Republicans listed include Chris Chaffee; Bryan DuVal Cubero; Michelle Talkington.
Further names in the provided list are Democrats George Gluck; Alexis Goldstein; Daniel M. Krakower; April McClain Delaney (incumbent); David J. Trone; Ethan P. Wechtaluk; Kiambo "Bo" White; A. Mark Wilks, and Republicans Chris Burnett; Robin Ficker; Mariela Roca.
Next steps and the filing deadline
Moore took questions from reporters while stopping by to file his paperwork, and FOX45 News questioned the governor on some people feeling like they have been left behind by the administration. Anyone who wants to run had to fill out candidacy paperwork by 9 p. m. on Tuesday (ET). The provided context notes that one candidate, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, launched an exploratory committee as he mulled a gubernatorial bid but ended that effort and filed to run for Senate again.
The list of candidates named in the filing period will be updated throughout Tuesday, based on the information included in the provided context.
