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I'm Joe Matthew alongside Kaylee Lines in Washington with a special edition of the Balance of Power podcast. Today a conversation with Maryland Governor Wes Moore. We spoke with the Democrat following his appearance with Joe Biden in Philadelphia, part of a series of events samed to galvanizing support among black voters. We started by asking the governor if he believes in this perceived weakness for the president in his bid for reelection.
I think the energy is real because people have seen results. You know, we know that this is a president who is unafraid to be able to delve in some of the delve into the larger systemic challenges that oftentimes have
continued to impact and hurt the Black community. So when we're seeing now that coming to the end of his first term, that we now have historically low unemployment rates amongst African Americans, that were watching an increase in black owned businesses businesses starre by Black men that are the highest we've seen in thirty years. That we have a president that's focusing on work and wages and wealth for all members of our society, in all parts of our community.
I think the results are showing.
And I do think that whatever polls people are seeing six months before an election, the energy that we're seeing on the ground for the president, that that is more real than Frankly, the poll numbers might indicate.
Okay, governor. So you may not believe the poll numbers, although it is happening consistently across any number of polls. There are Black voters out there who are telling pollsters they are feeling less likely to vote for Biden this time around than they were in twenty twenty. Can you just help us with a potential diagnosis as to why for some, even if not as many as polls may suggest in your mind, why some may not feel that
the work of this administration is resonating with them. Is this a messaging problem?
Well, I think there's honestly a larger frustration and cynicism that does exist in the black community.
Uh.
And I don't think that's that's Joe Biden's making, But I think it is something that the president has got to has got to wrestle with, and we've got to speak to you know, be honestly, I don't I don't I come from not just I don't come from a political background or even of political family. I know they are family members who I still have to convince to get involved. Family was already convinced about for me, simply because they hadn't had a history of voting before. So
that cynicism is historical, that cynicism oftentimes is generational. I think what people are seeing with theough, and they'll continue to see as the president goes out and continues to earn every vote, is that what's also real is the fact that we have a measurement of momentum when it comes to economic growth and economic success, that we're now seeing a measure of growth and actually decrease in the wealth gap that exists within the country. That's real, and
that's intentional. So I think does a president have to go out there and earn every vote? Absolutely, does he have to break through a measure of historical cynicism that oftentimes exists within the African American community during election times, one hundred percent. But I think that's work that the president is willing to put in in order.
To ensure a reelection.
The president questioned whether Donald Trump would pardon the January sixth rioters if they had been black, and he said a lot more than that governor. He said, Donald Trump is the landlord who denies housing applications because of the color of people's skin, the guy who will not say black lives matter and invokes neo Nazi Third Reich terms. He said, Trump is the same guy who unleashed the Birtherism lie against Barack Obama. Is this the rhetoric that's
required here? Is this now the say it out loud campaign?
You know, I think about the work that's happening right now. You know in the state of Maryland, where we're now going on nearly twelve straight months of having amongst the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country, that we are now watching the unemployment rate amongst African Americans at historically low levels in our state, that we have now seen economic momentum increase. After going five straight years of zero point two percent GDP growth, we're now finally watching the
economic momentum in the state of Maryland that's growing. And the thing I know is that the reason that all this is happening is because we're moving in partnership with the Biden administration. And so I know My pitch to voters, my pitch to folks in Maryland and anywhere else that I'll go to speak about why this selection matters is don't come out and vote because you're afraid of the alternative. We know the alternative, we know the records of both
of these two people. But vote because if you can look at what's happened over the past even just year and a half in my state, and that's just one example, imagine if we can get another four years. And so I'm not scared of the alternative. I'm hopeful that another four years with the president will be able to bring the kind of economic growth that all of us will be able to benefit from.
Well, Governor, that's all at the presidential level. There are also down that races in the state of Maryland we are watching, including for the Senate. You of course backed Angela also Brooks in her Democratic primary campaign against Congressman David Trone. She won. She is now up against your predecessor, Larry Hogan, who left the governorship with seventy seven percent approval. And so, sir, you yourself are a pretty popular governor,
but that approval is even higher than yours. Can you confidently say there is not a risk that Larry Hogan can be the one that flips a blue Senate seat red.
Well, I think there's absolutely a risk, But I think it's also why we're taking it seriously, because what the real risk is is that the state of Maryland is not going to give the Senate majority to the Republicans,
not in this moment. And I also think this disparity in the differences between these two candidates is also very real, where you know, we have a kind executive, the person I supported very early in this race, and I'm excited to support her through the election to the general election, where she has a very clear history of being able
to fight for reproductive health care and reproductive rights. And we know that the old governor does not, in fact vet oled legislation to support privacy veto legislation to support additional protections. I had to on my first day of office, I released three and a half million dollars of funds that the old governor previously withheld because he did not
want to release that money due to political reasons. That we have a candidate in Angela Alsobrooks, who while she was KINT executive, saw a significant drop in violent crime in Prince George's county versus you know, the old governor saw significant increases in violence and homicides during his time as governor.
So it's going to be an important and spirited race.
I think the count executive is going to win because I think these issues that we are going to see people understand that there's a track record that has to be examined.
You've had some good things to say in the past, Governor about Larry Hogan. I know you're a gentleman and that should not be outside of the realm, but you called him a capable leader with a strong record, using your words in some of his ads. But I'm also taken by what Larry Hogan said about you in a conversation with Marilyn Matters. I believe it was shortly after you won the governorship. Quote.
I really like him, he said.
Seems like a genuinely nice, likable guy who seems to really want to make a difference and seems to be in it for the right reasons. He said that about you, Governor. Are you sure you guys are on opposite sides?
No, And what I tell people, I don't have a problem, you know, with him personally at all. I also know that my support of Angela Also Brooks is not because of personality. It's because she matches the values not just of me, but the values of the state.
And I know what's on the line.
I know that having a Republican set a majority is on the line. I know that making sure that marylynd could be a safe haven for abortion rights is on the line. I know making sure that we can actually provide supports to make our community safer and more affordable is on the line. And I have nothing about to say personally about the old governor. I also just know that when I think about who I want as a partner inside the US Senate, it's Angela Alsobrooks.
Well, we know, Governor, that there are also some issues very specific to Maryland that the state is grappling with, including what has kept you occupied for the last two months the aftermath of the collapse of the Francis Scott Keybridge. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce just released data yesterday that said sixty four percent of small businesses in and around Baltimore County said they lost revenue due to the collapse.
Others talked about increased freight costs logistical challenges because of the way that things need to be re routed. When can you confidently tell those businesses, these individuals affected, that things will be back to normal.
Yeah.
I can't overstate not just the importance of the Port of Baltimore, not just to the region and to Baltimore into Maryland, but to the entire country. Two thirds of this country gets their goods from the Port of Baltimore.
But what we saw just state weeks ago, when we had a ship that was the size of three football fields sitting and caught in the middle of the Tapsco River with four thousand tons of steel sitting on top of it, and the remainder of the key bridge at the bottom of the river, with six people unaccounted for. This was a tragedy that we had not seen in our state in generations. And I'm so proud of the
way that this state has mobilized and the speed. In addition to being able to return all of the remains to the individuals and to the families who lost people, we are now days away from being able to have the full Federal channel seven hundred feet by fifty foot depth reopened, and to be able to have the Port
of Baltimore coming back again. We saw during the month of April where there was a real concern about where unemployment rate for the state of Maryland was going to go for the month of April, and we're proud that because we were able to work with the private sector, work with our partner and all of our port partners, that not only for the month of April, has Maryland continued to have amongst the lowest unemployment rates in the
entire country. We actually gained thousands of jobs during that same time period and watch labor participation actually increase during the month of April. So I could not be more proud of the response of this state. We've got a long road to go and I will not stop until we have a new bridge, a new Francis Scott Key
Bridge built and overlooking the skyline in Baltimore. But the speed of this recovery really has been a marvel, and it's really been because we've had a coordinated effort in getting it done well.
You do have a lot to be proud of, Governor, and the heroic actions of the public safety officials in Baltimore and the state of Maryland, including the divers who have been risking their lives to comb the bottom of the floor of the remarkable stories to tell. But then it becomes a question about money. And we've talked about
this before on Bloomberg. In fact, we had a conversation earlier with Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry Shares the House Financial Services Committee, and we asked them directly about the chances for a supplemental budget to rebuild the bridge passing this Congress, and he talked about offsets that would be needed, other budget cuts, suggesting that we're spending too much. What are you hearing from leaders in the House about that making that happen to rebuild the bridge.
You know, I've been incredibly encouraged by the amount of bipartisan support that we've received, you know, people from from not just the Democratic side of the House, but also people from Chair Womack and Chair Hole from Oklahoma and from Arkansas and Oklahoma respectively, people who have said, we understand the importance of getting this bridge rebuilt because it's a core artery for the Port of Baltimore, which.
Is indispensable to the American economy.
And what we're asking for the one hundred percent cost share is just not saying all the American people are going to pay for I'm very confident that the American people will be made whole when you look at everything from insurance to potential pending litigation. Lloyd's of London has indicated this is going to be the most expensive maritime tragedy in our nation's history. So the American people will
be made whole. The reason our ask for the one hundred percent cost share is essentially it's essentially bridge financing. It's saying that while we're going through the process of a potential litigation, which we know could take years, we've
got to get moving. We've got to get building because my commitment to the people of my state and the people of this country, frankly, is that we are going to build this thing on time and on budget and effectively, and we're going to get the Port of Baltimore going again because it's important to the largest supply chain of our nation.
But we've got to get moving.
That's the importance of the bipartisan support for the one hundred percent cost share, and we've been incredibly heartened by the amount of by the encouraging words and supports that we've received from members from both sides of the Aisle on this issue.
Merrily, Governor Wes Moore on a special edition of the Balance of Power podcast alongside Kaylee Lines, I'm Joe Matthew in Washington. This is Blue Bomberg. Thanks for listening to the Balance of Power podcast. Make sure to subscribe if you haven't already, at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and you can find us live every weekday from Washington, DC at noontime Eastern at Bloomberg dot com.