Latest news with #ParrenMitchell
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Maryland's Wes Moore says he's not running for president but high-profile stops keep chatter alive
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, often mentioned among Democrats as a potential presidential candidate, has been saying for months that he isn't running for the White House in 2028. That hasn't stopped persistent talk about his future political plans, especially when he continues to make appearances outside Maryland that raise his national profile. On Friday, he's traveling to speak at the Blue Palmetto Dinner in the early presidential primary state of South Carolina. When asked about 2028, though, the governor is clear. 'I'm not running,' Moore told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. He also said, when asked, that he isn't trying to get his name in the conversation for a potential vice presidential candidacy, either. The trip to South Carolina includes meetings with business prospects, Moore said. 'And people should get very used to me going all over the country bringing business back to Maryland, because that's exactly what I plan on doing as long as I'm the governor of the state,' Moore said after a dedication in Annapolis for a memorial to former Rep. Parren Mitchell, the state's first Black congressman. In the third year of his first term, Moore plans to run for reelection next year in heavily Democratic Maryland. He says being the state's governor during a challenging time has his full attention. That includes working to navigate the difficulties of dramatic federal downsizing under the Trump administration, which poses an outsized economic impact on Maryland. The state is home to a large number of federal workers toiling in the shadow of the nation's capital — about 256,000 Marylanders received a federal W-2 in 2021, representing about 8% of taxpayers, according to an analysis by the state's comptroller. Earlier this month, Maryland lost its triple-A bond rating from the Moody's economic rating agency. State officials had cited the rating for more than 50 years as a sign of strong fiscal stewardship that enabled the state to pay the lowest rates when it sells bonds to pay for infrastructure. Two other rating agencies, Standard & Poor's and Fitch, have recently affirmed the state's triple-A bond rating. Moore and other leading Democrats in the state blamed the Trump administration's downsizing for the Moody's downgrade. The governor just had the most challenging legislative session of his tenure. Facing a $3.3 billion budget deficit, he worked with the legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, to reach a balanced budget that included about $2 billion in spending cuts throughout state government and about $1.6 billion in new revenues through tax and fee increases. Most of the tax increases were imposed on high-income residents, including two new higher tax brackets for people who make more than $500,000 and a new 2% tax on capital gains for people with income over $350,000. The governor has said most Marylanders won't see a tax increase, and some will receive a modest tax cut. Still, Maryland Republicans have been pouncing on the tax increases — an issue sure to be raised often by the GOP's next nominee for governor. Moore, 46, is the state's first Black governor, and the only Black governor currently serving. He is the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, an anti-poverty nonprofit. He also is a Rhodes scholar and a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan. The buzz around Moore has persisted since the bestselling author won Maryland's governorship in his first bid for public office in a landslide in 2022, after prevailing in a crowded Democratic primary that included former national party chairman and former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez. In a state that is about 30% Black, Moore was recently criticized by the state's Legislative Black Caucus for vetoing a bill to study potential reparations for slavery. Moore said the idea has been studied enough and now is the time to 'focus on the work itself' of building a better economy for all. That includes narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality — from food insecurity to education. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in Maryland, making the state largely safe for Democratic incumbents. Still, former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan won the first of his two terms by campaigning heavily against tax increases approved during the tenure of his Democratic predecessor, prompting some to wonder if the popular Hogan might run for governor again. Maryland limits a governor to two consecutive terms, but a former two-term governor could seek another term after sitting out one.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Maryland's Wes Moore says he's not running for president but high-profile stops keep chatter alive
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, often mentioned among Democrats as a potential presidential candidate, has been saying for months that he isn't running for the White House in 2028. That hasn't stopped persistent talk about his future political plans, especially when he continues to make appearances outside Maryland that raise his national profile. On Friday, he's traveling to speak at the Blue Palmetto Dinner in the early presidential primary state of South Carolina. When asked about 2028, though, the governor is clear. 'I'm not running,' Moore told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. He also said, when asked, that he isn't trying to get his name in the conversation for a potential vice presidential candidacy, either. The trip to South Carolina includes meetings with business prospects, Moore said. 'And people should get very used to me going all over the country bringing business back to Maryland, because that's exactly what I plan on doing as long as I'm the governor of the state,' Moore said after a dedication in Annapolis for a memorial to former Rep. Parren Mitchell, the state's first Black congressman. In the third year of his first term, Moore plans to run for reelection next year in heavily Democratic Maryland. He says being the state's governor during a challenging time has his full attention. That includes working to navigate the difficulties of dramatic federal downsizing under the Trump administration, which poses an outsized economic impact on Maryland. The state is home to a large number of federal workers toiling in the shadow of the nation's capital — about 256,000 Marylanders received a federal W-2 in 2021, representing about 8% of taxpayers, according to an analysis by the state's comptroller. Earlier this month, Maryland lost its triple-A bond rating from the Moody's economic rating agency. State officials had cited the rating for more than 50 years as a sign of strong fiscal stewardship that enabled the state to pay the lowest rates when it sells bonds to pay for infrastructure. Two other rating agencies, Standard & Poor's and Fitch, have recently affirmed the state's triple-A bond rating. Moore and other leading Democrats in the state blamed the Trump administration's downsizing for the Moody's downgrade. The governor just had the most challenging legislative session of his tenure. Facing a $3.3 billion budget deficit, he worked with the legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, to reach a balanced budget that included about $2 billion in spending cuts throughout state government and about $1.6 billion in new revenues through tax and fee increases. Most of the tax increases were imposed on high-income residents, including two new higher tax brackets for people who make more than $500,000 and a new 2% tax on capital gains for people with income over $350,000. The governor has said most Marylanders won't see a tax increase, and some will receive a modest tax cut. Still, Maryland Republicans have been pouncing on the tax increases — an issue sure to be raised often by the GOP's next nominee for governor. Moore, 46, is the state's first Black governor, and the only Black governor currently serving. He is the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, an anti-poverty nonprofit. He also is a Rhodes scholar and a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan. The buzz around Moore has persisted since the bestselling author won Maryland's governorship in his first bid for public office in a landslide in 2022, after prevailing in a crowded Democratic primary that included former national party chairman and former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez. In a state that is about 30% Black, Moore was recently criticized by the state's Legislative Black Caucus for vetoing a bill to study potential reparations for slavery. Moore said the idea has been studied enough and now is the time to 'focus on the work itself' of building a better economy for all. That includes narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality — from food insecurity to education. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in Maryland, making the state largely safe for Democratic incumbents. Still, former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan won the first of his two terms by campaigning heavily against tax increases approved during the tenure of his Democratic predecessor, prompting some to wonder if the popular Hogan might run for governor again. Maryland limits a governor to two consecutive terms, but a former two-term governor could seek another term after sitting out one.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Parren Mitchell, the first Black member of Congress from Maryland, honored with memorial
The Parren J. Mitchell memorial outside the Pip Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis. (Photo courtesy of the City of Annapolis) Keiffer Mitchell Jr. remembers that his uncle, the late Rep. Parren J. Mitchell, would always arrive a bit late for November and Christmas dinners. 'We would say, 'Uncle Parren, where you were? How come you were late?'' the younger Mitchell said in an interview Wednesday. 'He sat and had dinner with the men and women in the penitentiary. He represented his people.' It was just one of the memories shared Wednesday at the dedication of a memorial honoring Parren Mitchell, the first African American member of Congress from Maryland as well as a pioneer in other areas. A few hundred friends, family members and dignitaries braved the rain to honor Mitchell during the dedication of the black stone memorial at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis, featuring images and words from the late congressman's life. Wednesday was the anniversary of Mitchell's death in 2007 at age 85, He made history as the first Black member of Congress from Maryland, but Mitchell was making a name for himself well before his election to the House in 1970. Born and raised in Baltimore, he joined the Army in 1942 and was assigned to the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division. He served in Italy, earning a Purple Heart, and on his return used his GI Bill money to earn a bachelor's degree from what was then Morgan State College. He then successfully sued for the right to attend the University of Maryland, College Park, becoming the first Black graduate student on the campus and earning a master's in sociology. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE He was elected to Congress in 1970 from Maryland's 7th District and served eight terms before stepping down in 1987. He was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a fierce advocate for policies protecting small- and minority-owned businesses. When then-President Jimmy Carter signed the Small Business Act and Small Business Investment Act in 1978, the legislation included amendments from Mitchell to fund and support minority businesses. When Sen. Nick Charles (D-Prince George's) and Del. H. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County) sponsored proposals in the 2024 legislature requiring state agencies to set aside 10% of contracts for minority- and veteran-owned businesses, they named it for Mitchell. Their bill ultimately passed and was signed into law. 'Congressman Parren Mitchell did so much that, even in his death, that his legacy still lives on,' said Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. 'Our Maryland Black Caucus will continue to make sure that his legacy and his work and his leadership lives in all of the work that we do.' Gov. Wes Moore (D) credited Mitchell's trailblazing with making it possible for him to be governor today. 'I want to be very, very clear: I am not the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland had it not been for Congressman Parren Mitchell,' Moore said at Wednesday[s event. Moore also read a citation which he gave to the Mitchell family. 'What you see here is you see an entire mosaic of our state in celebration. Today is not just a great day for Anne Arundel County. Today is a great day for the state of Maryland and a great day for the United States of America,' Moore said to a warm applause. Moore, who attended the 90-minute ceremony with his wife, received a standing ovation when he walked to the microphone to speak on the importance of Mitchell's legacy. Not everyone was as welcoming of Moore, who this month vetoed a bill that would have created a Maryland Reparations Commission. 'We need that reparations bill. We need it,' Greg Thrasher shouted toward Moore. Thrasher, who recently moved to Anne Arundel County from Michigan, said he is not part of a local Black Lives Matter group, but after elected officials and others were acknowledged, he yelled, 'Black Lives Matters is here, too.' But most of the afternoon's proceedings were celebratory. The Caucus of African American Leaders and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee led efforts that helped raise $100,000 for the memorial in just four months. Although Mitchell was a Baltimore City native, the memorial in Annapolis has a Mitchell connection: His nephew, former state Sen. Michael Mitchell, was arrested during a sit-in at a segregated restaurant in Annapolis and called Moyer, a former mayor, to post his bail, according to an article in Eye on Annapolis. Parren Mitchell's niece, Lisa Mitchell Sennaar, thanked everyone and mentioned her uncle didn't have any children. 'I see the legacy of Karen Mitchell in this room. We are His children. We are his legacy,' said Mitchell Sennaar, a small business reserve compliance manager in the Governor's Office of Small, Minority and Women Business Affairs.
