>>> UNLIKE MOST WHO RUN FOR
OFFICE, I KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO
STRUGGLE AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS
TO ACHIEVE DREAMS MY PARENTS
COULDNT HAVE EVEN IMAGINED.
I KNOW WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF,
IF WE CHOOSE HOPE.
IF WE COME TOGETHER TO FIGHT FOR
EACH OTHER, TO OPEN DOORS FOR
EACH OTHER ACROSS EVERY
NEIGHBORHOOD IN EVERY CORNER OF
THIS STATE.
IM WES MOORE AND THIS IS WHAT
ILL FIGHT FOR AS THE GOVERNOR
OF MARYLAND.
>> ALL RIGHT.
U.S. ARMY COMBAT VETERAN AND
FORMER CEO OF THE ROBINHOOD
FOUNDATION, WES MOORE IS RUNNING
TO BE MARYLANDS NEXT GOVERNOR.
HE JOINS A CROWDED FIELD OF
CANDIDATES VYING TO REPLACE
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR LARRY HOGAN,
WHOSE TERM LIMIT WILL BE UP AT
THE END OF THIS YEAR, AND WES
JOINS US NOW.
HELLO, MY FRIEND, WELCOME TO
POLITICS.
AS A REAL CANDIDATE, TELL US WHY
YOU WANT TO BE GOVERNOR OF
MARYLAND.
>> ITS GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
AND THANK YOU, AND I JUST FEEL
LIKE IN THIS MOMENT, THAT COMING
OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, THAT WE
HAVE GOT TO BUILD A BROAD
COALITION TO FOCUS ON CREATING
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND CLOSING
THE WEALTH GAP.
THAT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IS
READILY AVAILABLE TO SOME.
AND ITS JUST DANGEROUSLY ABSENT
TO OTHERS.
AND IVE SEEN THAT FIRSTHAND,
NOT ONLY IN MY OWN LIFE, HAVING
WATCHED MY MOM WAS A SINGLE MOM,
GET, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST JOB
THAT GAVE HER BENEFITS WHEN I
WAS 14-YEAR-OLD OLD.
AND THIS IS A WOMAN WITH A
MASTERS DEGREE.
AND MARYLAND IS ONE OF THE
WEALTHIEST STATES IN THE
COUNTRY, BUT ALSO ONE OF THE
MOST INEQUITABLE.
SO WE CANT HAVE WORLD-CLASS
SCHOOLS AND UNDERFUNDED ONES
RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
YOU CANT HAVE WORLD-CLASS
HEALTH INSTITUTIONS AND PEOPLE
WHO CANT AFFORD TO BE TREATED
IN THEM.
SO I THINK THIS IS A
GENERATIONAL MOMENT FOR US TO
RETHINK HOW DO WE CREATE
STRUCTURES THAT DONT LEAVE SO
MANY PEOPLE -- THAT DONT LEAVE
ANYBODY BEHIND.
>> SO, YOU KNOW, WES, AND BY THE
WAY, CONGRATULATIONS FOR JUMPING
INTO THE RACE.
SO EXCITED FOR YOU.
ELIJAH CUMMINGS WAS OBVIOUSLY A
GOOD FRIEND FOR A LONG TIME,
GOOD FRIEND OF MIKAS AND MINE,
MARRIED US, AND WE SPENT A GOOD
BIT OF TIME WITH HIM.
HE DEVOTED HIS ENTIRE LIFE TO
TRYING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR
THE PEOPLE OF BALTIMORE.
YET, AS YOU KNOW, PROGRESS HAS
BEEN SO SLOW OVER THE PAST 40,
50 YEARS.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE, WHERE SO MANY GOOD
MEN AND WOMEN HAVE TRIED TO DO
WHAT YOURE SAYING YOU WANT TO
DO, HAVE SPENT THEIR ENTIRE
LIVES LIKE ELIJAH, TRYING TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND ELIJAH MADE A DIFFERENCE IN
QUITE A FEW AREAS.
BUT STILL, BALTIMORE IS HURTING.
THE STATE OF MARYLAND IS
HURTING.
WHAT CAN YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
>> ITS A GREAT QUESTION, JOE.
AND ELIJAH WAS A MENTOR OF MINE,
AS WELL.
AND A DEAR MENTOR.
AND I KNOW THIS WAS SOMETHING
THAT PAINED HIM SO DEEPLY ABOUT
HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO BUILD UP
A PLACE THAT IS NOT JUST, YOU
KNOW, MY HOMETOWN, BUT YOU CANT
UNDERSTAND MY STORY WITHOUT
UNDERSTANDING BALTIMORE.
AND THE THING THAT I ALSO KNOW
IS THAT IN THIS MOMENT, WE HAVE
TO ALSO RESHAPE THE CONVERSATION
AROUND BALTIMORE.
YOU CANNOT HAVE A THRIVING
MARYLAND IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A
THRIVING BALTIMORE.
YOU CANNOT HAVE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
WITHIN MARYLAND IF IT IS NOT
MIRRORED BY WHATS HAPPENING IN
THE BALTIMORE REGION.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE WILL
DO IS CREATE AN ENTIRE BALTIMORE
RENAISSANCE STRATEGY, AND ONE
THAT IS NOT COMPETING WITH OTHER
PARTS OF THE STATE, BUT ONE THAT
IS COMPLIMENTARY TO THE GROWTH
OF EVERY SINGLE PART OF THIS
STATE.
THAT BALTIMORE IS THE HOME OF SO
MANY ASSETS AND MARYLAND AS A
HOLE IS A PLACE WITH TREMENDOUS
ASSETS, WHERE WE ARE ASSET RICH,
BUT WE ARE STRATEGY POOR.
WEVE GOT TO CHANGE THAT
DYNAMIC.
AND WE CAN AND BALTIMORE IS
GOING TO PLAY A REALLY IMPORTANT
ROLE IN THAT.
>> HEY, WES, ITS WILLIE.
GRACHLGS
CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING INTO
THE RACE.
FULL DISCLOSURE, IVE KNOWN YOU
FOR A LONG TIME.
YOURE A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE,
IM PROUD OF YOU FOR GETTING
INTO THIS THING.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO DONT KNOW
YOUR STORY -- YOU COME FROM
BALTIMORE, YOUR FATHER PASSED
AWAY WHEN YOU WERE ALMOST FOUR
YEARS OLD.
YOU WENT ON AND KIND OF FOUND
YOURSELF OVER THOSE YEARS
THROUGH BALTIMORE AND NEW YORK
AND BECAME A RHODES SCHOLAR,
JOINED THE 82nd AIRBORNE, SERVED
IN AFGHANISTAN.
MOST RECENTLY, YOU RAN
ROBINHOOD, THE FOUNDATION HERE
IN NEW YORK, ONE OF THE BIGGEST
POVERTY-FIGHTING ORGANIZATIONS
IN THE WORLD.
SO I GUESS THE QUESTION FOR ME,
WES IS, EVERY TIME IVE BEEN
AROUND YOU, EVERY TIME YOU COME
ON THIS SHOW, I GET A TEXT OR A
COMMENT, THAT GUY SHOULD RUN FOR
SOMETHING.
AND CLEARLY, YOUR MOMENT HAS
COME NOW.
SO WHY DO YOU THINK, AS YOU LOOK
AT THIS FIELD, THERE ARE A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE
GOVERNOR.
WHY DO YOU THINK YOURE THE GUY
IN THIS RACE?
>> WELL, I THINK MY EXPERIENCE
TO LEAD IN THIS MOMENT, IT IS
BOTH PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL.
I BELIEVE THE EXPERIENCE I HAVE
IS BOTH UNIQUE AND DIVERSE, BOTH
FROM A FAMILY PERSPECTIVE.
IVE SEEN WHAT ITS LIKE WHERE
SO MANY OF THE CHALLENGES THAT
MANY MARYLANDERS ARE FACING
RIGHT NOW, THE INSECURITY, THE
FEAR ABOUT THE FUTURE, THAT WAS
THE SAME FEAR THAT MY FAMILY
FELT.
AND I SAW WHAT IT WAS LIKE
HAVING MY MOM HAVE TO RYE TO
NAVIGATE THAT ON HER OWN.
AND I KNOW FROM A PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE, HAVING THE CHANCE TO
BE A CAPTAIN IN THE 82nd
AIRBORNE DIVISION, LEAD SOLDIERS
IN COMBAT, HAVING A SUCCESSFUL
SMALL BUSINESS IN BALTIMORE THAT
HELPED FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS
MAKE IT TO AND THROUGH COLLEGE,
LEADING ONE OF THE LARGEST
NONPROFITS IN THE UNITED STATES
WITH A FOCUS ON POVERTY.
YOU KNOW, IVE SEEN FIRSTHAND
HOW STMSYSTEMS CAN WORK FOR SOME
BUT HOW THEY DONT WORK FOR
OTHERS.
AND I THINK THE UNIQUE
PERSPECTIVE IS THAT WE ARE
BRINGING A BROAD LENS AND A VERY
FUTURE-FACING LENS AS TO HOW WE
CAN THINK HOLISTICALLY ABOUT
THESE CHALLENGES WE ARE FACING
AND THESE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE
ARE NOT YET SEIZING, BECAUSE WE
CANNOT THINK THAT THE INDIVIDUAL
GOOD DEEDS ALONE WILL CURE US
FROM DARKNESS.
AND IF WE TRY, IF WE DO NOT
FOCUS ON THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE
PUTTING SO MANY PEOPLE IN SO
MANY PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS IN
OUR STATE, WE WILL REPEATEDLY
FIND OURSELVES CLEANING UP THE
DEBRIS THAT COMES FROM BROKEN
SYSTEMS.
>> ALL RIGHT, CANDIDATE FOR
GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND, WES MOORE,