Wes Moore Re-elected in Maryland as Riley Moore Wins House Seat

WHO:

NBC News - Wes Moore, the Democratic governor of Maryland, defeated Republican Dan Cox in a rematch of their 2022 race and won a second term.

NBC News - Moore became Maryland’s first Black governor four years earlier.

NBC News - Dan Cox, a former Republican state lawmaker, campaigned on his ability to manage Baltimore’s bridge rebuilding.

NBC News - Moore has been discussed as a possible Democratic presidential contender; asked about a 2028 run on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he said, “I’m not running for president.”

NBC News - Moore said he was committed to Marylanders when asked whether he would serve a full four-year term: “I would not be running for re-election if I was not committed to the people of Maryland.”

IJR - Riley Moore won a West Virginia House seat.

NBC News - Gov. Wes Moore, state House Democratic leaders and Democratic leaders in Congress supported Maryland’s redistricting amendment; state Senate President Bill Ferguson initially declined to take up a new map.

Alternet - LaKesha Womack defeated Republican Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District.

WHAT:

NBC News - Moore won re-election, NBC News projected.

IJR - Maryland voters approved Question 3, a constitutional amendment giving lawmakers more flexibility to redraw congressional districts.

NBC News - Question 3 exempts congressional redistricting from constitutional requirements that districts be “compact in form, and of substantially equal population,” and that lawmakers give “due regard” to natural and political-subdivision boundaries.

NBC News - The amendment’s approval allows Democrats to pursue a new congressional map before the 2028 elections and extends the mid-decade redistricting fight into the next election cycle.

NBC News - Maryland’s Democratic-controlled Legislature voted to put the amendment on the ballot; supporters described it as a response to President Donald Trump’s “power grab,” while Republicans said it would take away voters’ right to fair districts.

NBC News - Moore highlighted reducing violent crime in Baltimore, raising Maryland’s minimum wage and reducing teacher vacancies. He also criticized President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda and tariffs on foreign goods.

NBC News - Moore and Cox competed amid delays to Baltimore’s bridge rebuilding; Maryland parted ways with Nebraska-based contractor Kiewit Infrastructure over a budget dispute.

Alternet - Womack led Tim Moore by 6,415 votes among 288,361 votes cast, winning 51.1% to 48.9%, with all precincts reporting. Moore had won the seat by about 16 percentage points two years earlier.

Alternet - Womack raised $59,000; Moore raised about $2.09 million through mid-October, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Moore had served one term in Congress and five terms as speaker of the North Carolina House.

Alternet - Womack said she became unhoused with her young son after moving to North Carolina and was hospitalized in intensive care following a Type 1 diabetes-related medical emergency. She said, “I think this is the American dream that within 10 years, you know, I can go from being virtually homeless to running for Congress.”

Alternet - Womack said, “I can’t preach about people being homeless if I’m not willing to advocate for policies that will actually solve that.” She said she would not support or oppose bills solely based on the party sponsoring them and that “good policy should matter more than political loyalty.”

NBC News - A 2022 state judge ruled unconstitutional a Democratic effort to redraw Maryland’s only Republican-held House district.

NBC News - Nine states enacted new congressional maps since 2025: Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Courts stopped new maps from being used in Missouri and Virginia.

WHERE:

NBC News - The gubernatorial contest and Question 3 vote were in Maryland; the rebuilding project is a bridge in Baltimore.

IJR - Riley Moore’s House seat is in West Virginia.

Alternet - Womack’s congressional race was in North Carolina’s 14th District; she lost housing after moving to North Carolina.

WHY:

NBC News - Supporters said Maryland needed to respond to Republican-led redistricting elsewhere. Ferguson said, “Maryland must respond as the ground shifts under us.”

NBC News - President Donald Trump called on Republican-run states to redraw maps to strengthen the party’s narrow House majority, prompting an unusual mid-decade redistricting effort.

Alternet - Democrats framed Tim Moore’s defeat as a rejection of gerrymandering and entrenched political power.

HOW:

NBC News - Maryland’s Legislature placed Question 3 on the ballot through a constitutional amendment approved by voters.

NBC News - Moore campaigned alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Michigan, Nevada and Georgia.

Alternet - Womack’s campaign contrasted her own account of homelessness and resilience with Moore’s record; local results showed her strength in Mecklenburg County precincts, while Moore did not build a sufficient margin in rural western counties.

(UPDATED November 4, 2026 17:05 UTC)

Wes Moore won a second term as Maryland governor, defeating Republican Dan Cox. Maryland voters approved redistricting flexibility, allowing lawmakers to pursue a new congressional map. In North Carolina, LaKesha Womack defeated Republican Representative Tim Moore in the 14th District.