Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is set to deliver his fourth State of the State address Wednesday at noon. Follow along on this page for live updates throughout the day.
2:40 p.m. ET
By Alexander Taylor | Reporting from Annapolis
Following Gov. Moore’s address, onlookers who had watched from the balcony filed into the hallways of the State House. Some took pictures, while others talked to coworkers and elected officials. The House and the Senate adjourned until Thursday morning. Downstairs outside the House chambers, lawmakers talked to reporters and others sharing their thoughts about the speech.
2:32 p.m. ET
By Ian Ferris | Reporting from Annapolis
Outside the House chambers, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey called Moore’s address “uninspiring.”
“I thought the governor’s speech was very bland, uninspiring,” Hershey told Capital News Service. “I don’t think he talked to Marylanders. Frankly, I don’t think he talked to the country, which many people thought that this would be his big political statement for presidency. I think he spoke to a very small population.”
2:16 p.m. ET
By Sam Gauntt | Reporting from Annapolis
As he wrapped up, Gov. Moore described the story of Maryland as one of courage in the face of hardship, of willingness to do what’s difficult, of the belief that service matters. He said that tradition continues today.
As he wrapped up, Moore described the story of #Maryland as one of courage in the face of hardship, of willingness to do what’s difficult, of the belief that service matters. He said that tradition continues today.
Video by Ian Ferris. pic.twitter.com/J96Njpr4DK
— Capital News Service (@CNSmd) February 11, 2026
“It continues in the scientists who helped us to discover the COVID-19 vaccine,” he said. “In the federal workers, who helped to keep our food safe and who helped to keep our planes in the air, in the engineers who built a telescope that can see planets 13 billion light years away. It’s the courage of the four Maryland Olympians who, right now, are representing our country overseas.”
This moment, he said, is 250 years in the making and will set the stage for the next 250 years.
“And together, if we stay true to the spirit of our people, if we stay true to our state, if we protest, if we deliver and if we lead, I know we will build a kind of future that those who became before us fought for and those come after us that they deserve,” Moore said.
1:52 p.m. ET
By Alexander Taylor | Reporting from Annapolis
In the GOP response to Gov. Moore’s address, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey said Maryland is not easier to live, work, build and invest in than it was four years ago. He said Marylanders are facing rising costs, energy prices and structural deficits that didn’t start last year.
“Marylanders expect their governor to focus on Maryland’s problems and take responsibility for the decisions made right here at home,” he said.
1:52 p.m. ET
By Sam Gauntt | Reporting from Annapolis
Gov. Moore announced the creation of “Citizenship Maryland,’’ which aims to bring together law firms, unions and private businesses to make sure Marylanders who are eligible for citizenship get support.
“It’s about helping our teachers and our nurses. It’s about helping our National Guard members and our corporate residents, the people who helped to keep us fed, people who are running small businesses, the people who look after our children, people who are looking after our parents,” he said. “It’s about helping 150,000 Marylanders who just need a little extra support to get their American citizenship.”
“They are our neighbors. They are our friends. They are our fellow Marylanders,” he added.
Moore mentioned Daniel Omar Fuentes Espinal, who he said fled Honduras 24 years ago and came to Maryland. Moore said the local pastor on the Eastern Shore was “abducted and detained” by federal immigration agents and sent to a detention facility in Louisiana.
But the pastor’s community stepped up and helped fight for his release, Moore said. Fuentes Espinal was in the gallery in the chamber Wednesday.
1:30 p.m. ET
By Andrew Mollenauer | Reporting from Annapolis
Tracee Ford of Baltimore was in Annapolis Wednesday to tell elected officials about community mediation in their areas, but she expected Gov. Moore to talk about how Maryland will respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents coming to the state.
Ford, 53, deputy director of Community Mediation Maryland, which promotes conflict resolution education, said she hopes Moore will lay out “the strategies that Maryland is using to address ICE and ICE agents coming to the area and hopefully talking about the disappointment about Washington County agreeing to cooperate with ICE and celebrate Baltimore City not making that same decision.”
1:18 p.m. ET
By Sam Gauntt | Reporting from Annapolis
Gov. Moore highlighted the impact federal layoffs and funding cuts have had on the state. More than 25,000 Marylanders have lost their jobs with the federal government since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, he said.
Moore said Marylanders are also losing their healthcare and some are at risk of losing food assistance benefits because of federal changes.
“Washington is using this moment to attack and to limit and to retreat,” Moore said.
He told the chamber, “You protect our people from the worst of Washington’s cruelty.”
1:16 p.m. ET
By Sam Gauntt | Reporting from Annapolis
Gov. Moore brought up the issue of redistricting, noting that months ago he reestablished the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission because he said at the time other states were having discussions about mid-decade redistricting.
“Maryland needs to be a part of that conversation,” Moore said.
Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat who has opposed the effort, clapped lightly.
Moore said he recognizes there is a difference between the Senate and the House on supporting redistricting, but he called on the Senate to “not let the democratic process die in the Free State.”
“Debate, it, discuss, it, make adjustments if necessary, and put it to a vote,” he said.
12:38 p.m. ET
By Sam Gauntt | Reporting from Annapolis
Gov. Moore began his address by recognizing new House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, a fellow Democrat.
WATCH: @GovWesMoore enters the crowded House chamber to deliver his address.
Video by Alexander Taylor pic.twitter.com/HpIt5rnrKQ
— Capital News Service (@CNSmd) February 11, 2026
“She is the first Afro-Latina to serve as Speaker of the House of Delegates,” he said. “And importantly, she’s someone who understands that making history isn’t the assignment. Making life better for all Marylanders is.”
Like Speaker Emerita Adrienne Jones, Moore said, Peña-Melnyk always puts Maryland first. The same is true, he said, for Senate President Bill Ferguson.
12:30 p.m. ET
By Andrew Mollenauer | Reporting from Annapolis
Outside the Maryland Statehouse, Neka Duckett-Randolph of Baltimore stood with a small group and held up a sign that read, “Abolish Felony Disenfranchisement in Maryland.”
Duckett-Randolph of Out For Justice, a criminal justice reform organization, said Gov. Wes Moore needs to address felony disenfranchisement.
“We really want to encourage the state to be doing their part and be partners in the reentry process,” said Duckett-Randolph, 30.
She said she was also there to support measures to protect voting rights.
“With him being the only Black sitting governor in the country and there are so many Black voting rights and Black people just being under attack from [the Trump] administration, I’m really looking forward to hearing a message of unity and resilience from him,” said Duckett-Randolph. “I think it’s a really important time for folks to hear that.”
12:07 p.m. ET
By Ian Ferris and Alexander Taylor | Reporting from Annapolis
The House of Delegates held a short regular session ahead of Gov. Moore’s speech where they moved bills through first readings and announced committee readings. Some local officials are in the chamber, including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Bladensburg Mayor Takisha James and Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton.
Senate President Bill Ferguson, along with members of the Maryland Senate filed into the chamber. Attorney General Anthony Brown and Comptroller Brooke Lierman have also arrived.
Lawmakers packed into the House chamber while reporters lined the walls jockeying for position. One lawmaker sported an American flag scarf. Others wore ties emblazoned with the Maryland flag. Many members chatted, laughed and whispered with each other in the moments ahead of Gov. Moore’s address.
11:27 a.m. ET
By Alexander Taylor | Reporting from Annapolis
House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy, R-Frederick, said at a press conference Wednesday before Gov. Wes Moore’s address that House Republicans hope to hear some positive news in the Democratic governor’s speech.
“What we’ve seen in the month we’ve been down here so far has been very disappointing,’’ Pippy said.
House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, R-Allegany, said he hopes after Moore’s speech that legislators can move the ball forward on issues such as energy affordability, housing affordability, public safety, long-term budget needs and tax breaks.
“We’re not having those conversations,’’ Buckel said. “We’re just playing politics on those issues.”
Pippy said Marylanders would have to ask themselves if they are better off than they were three years ago. “I think the overwhelming answer is we’re not,” he said.
9:55 a.m. ET
By Alexander Taylor | Reporting from Annapolis
In a video posted to Gov. Moore’s social media accounts, he said he would talk about the future of Maryland, keeping communities safe and “making sure this state works for everyone and not just some people.”
Tomorrow at noon, I will deliver my State of the State Address. pic.twitter.com/CgNkBTYMs7
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) February 10, 2026
Follow along as Capital News Service reporters provide updates. You can also watch the address on the Maryland Public Television website.
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