One minute after the polls closed across Maryland on election night, the Associated Press projected Gov. Wes Moore the winner of the gubernatorial race over Republican nominee Dan Cox. As of 11:18 p.m., with 74% of precincts reporting, Moore held approximately 63% of the vote to Cox’s 33%. Despite those numbers, Cox, speaking to supporters around 11 p.m., declined to concede, insisting that his campaign would wait until all the votes were in before conceding.
“We are going to let the votes be counted, we are going to let every voice count and matter in this state,” Cox said. His daughter, who had served as his campaign manager, told reporters all night that the campaign would wait to see how the actual votes would stack up despite the AP’s early call.
A Record of Five Losses and One Victory
This election marks the latest in a series of defeats for Cox, who has now lost two races for governor, two for the U.S. House, and one for the Dorchester County Circuit Court Clerk. The contest was a rematch against Moore from 2022, a race in which Cox was unable to muster any kind of interest from voters. The only race Cox has won in Maryland remains a four-year term as a state Delegate in the fourth district, a position he held from 2018 to 2022.
Cox Campaign Mocks Wildlife Monitoring with Song
At The Recher in Towson, where Cox gathered with supporters for his election night party, the venue was mostly filled. The DJ played a dance song that seemed to be for the Cox campaign, featuring lyrics that stated, “Wes Moore won’t vibrate the turtles.” The song appears to be tied to an obscure reference from Cox criticizing the Moore administration for trying to monitor damage to wildlife as the state rebuilds the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Despite the crowded room, the dance floor remained sparse, populated mostly by people under the voting age and only a few individuals swaying back and forth. By 10:15 p.m., the campaign made the decision to change the television channels in the room away from election coverage showing large Democratic wins nationwide and instead switched back to a slideshow of Cox that had been playing earlier in the evening.
Waiting on the Remaining Votes
Cox’s decision to hold off on conceding places the spotlight on the precincts yet to report. While Moore held about 63% of the vote to Cox’s 33% with 74% of precincts reporting, the campaign’s stance ensures that the counting process will continue without an immediate concession. For voters across Maryland, the night illustrates the tension between rapid media projections based on partial returns and the slower, methodical work of tabulating every vote, a process Cox has vowed to respect before acknowledging the latest defeat.
The Associated Press’s call, coming just one minute after the close of polls, underscores how quickly the result became clear, yet Cox has chosen to extend the night by focusing on the uncounted votes. The scene at The Recher—a filled room but a quiet dance floor, with televisions turned away from the results—captures a campaign that appears unwilling to acknowledge the scale of the defeat until the final tally is complete. For a candidate who has now lost five of six races in Maryland, including bids for Congress and a county clerkship, the wait offers a final moment before the numbers are certified.
AP: Wes Moore wins a second term as Maryland governor, beating Republican Dan Cox for the second time. AP called it minutes after polls closed, before Maryland posted any statewide totals. Moore won their 2022 race 64.5% to 32.1%. How close does he come to that tonight?
More on Maryland
Gov. Wes Moore has been elected to a second term as governor of Maryland, the AP projects. Check election results, live updates in the WBAL-TV 11 News app, on https://t.co/5G3T3VkW8h and the link in bio.https://t.co/Xml9ArHE2Y pic.twitter.com/48pRX9jtfI
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