Moore and Clyburn and quarter-zips, Davis and Wilson and a wig, and the Green Bag, in notes

Gov. Wes Moore (D) is a big fan of the quarter-zip sweater — the somewhat sporty, somewhat formal attire that seems on its way to becoming a favorite of some politicians. Moore boasts on Instagram that he’s “governor quarter-zip,” and proclaims he’s the “OG of quarter-zips.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn would like to have word.

Clyburn, the longtime South Carolina Democrat and Moore ally, posted in a playful social media post last month that he is the real OG of the quarter-zip. For more than a year, the former House whip said, his team has told him that other Capitol Hill staffers were talking about his clothing choice.

“I didn’t know it was called a quarter-zip,” he said. “[Moore’s] post came out, they came to me and said, ‘I think the governor must not be aware of your reputation here on the Hill about this quarter-zip’ — That’s when I found out it had a name.”

In Clyburn’s Instagram post, he pointed to evidence of his longer reign: photos of him wearing the sweaters at last year’s State of the Union address, at bill signings and on foreign visits. He even wore them in his youth, working for the South Carolina state government.

For Clyburn, it’s function over form. He started his quarter-zip habit years ago at a golf tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina. A particularly cold day led him to buy one at the clubhouse for an added layer. Now, he has more than a dozen.

Even Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) had one on in a recent social media post.

Moore is a recent adoptee. In a post last November, he proclaimed that he was the “newest recruit to the quarter-zip movement.”

Still, the Great Quarter-Zip Beef of 2026 is not likely to come between Moore and Clyburn.

Clyburn, a Democratic kingmaker in South Carolina, and Moore have known each other since before the governor was elected in 2022, when he was still a nonprofit executive. Clyburn threw his support behind Moore when he jumped into the race. Their friendship grew from there, Clyburn said. Moore attended Clyburn’s annual fish fry last year, a who’s who of Democratic presidential hopefuls, alongside former vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“I think he has tremendous potential. But, you know, first things first, I think he needs to concentrate on getting reelected,” Clyburn said of Moore. “I think that higher office could very well be in his future. But that’s something that he’ll deal with when the time comes, and I’ll deal with it if he does.”

Madame Speaker, permission to wear a delegate’s wig…

There’s a certain decorum and specific rules that have to be followed in the House of Delegates, even for something as innocent as wishing another member a happy birthday. The person extending birthday wishes must rise and be recognized by the House speaker. She must ask permission to use the other delegate’s name on the House floor.

Del. Debra Davis (D-Charles) was doing all that as Friday’s floor session wound down and rose to extend birthday greetings to Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), who was celebrating his 54th birthday.

Then, Davis put on a wig.

“There is only one person who could make this presentation better. The person who has so eloquently introduced this delegate [Wilson] on this floor for the past 15 years,” Davis said. “Madame Speaker, permission to wear the delegate’s wig.”

“Permission granted,” House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) said, seconds before Davis threw on a dark wig that fell to the middle of her back. It was a nod to former Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (D-Howard), who stepped down to run for Howard County executive this year, but who always made the Wilson birthday wish.

“Today, I would like to recognize the delegate who holds the record for most smedium shirts in the history of the Maryland House of Delegates,” Davis said to chuckles on the House floor. “He was also voted most likely to hog the bench at the Senate gym. He taught us all the phrase ‘dilatory tactics,’ while probably being a little dilatory himself.”

Davis continued as she poked fun about her fellow Charles County delegate “probably wearing a Spongebob-lined jacket right now” and being captured in photos “shirtless with the governor.”

Wilson, who announced last week that he is leaving the House to make a run for state Senate, appeared to take it all in stride. A birthday cake with Wilson’s name on it and some cupcakes were set out neatly in the House lounge for delegates to enjoy.

As Davis wrapped up the accolades about her colleague, her last words: “Happy birthday, Senator, I mean, Del. C.T. Wilson.”

“Very well done. Happy birthday,” Peña-Melnyk said at the rostrum.

(Green) bag check

The Green Bag was delivered Friday to the Maryland Senate, carrying the names of hundreds of people nominated by Gov. Wes Moore (D) to serve on the more than 650 boards and commissions that do much of the work of the state, from courts to college boards, the parole board to the Amusement Ride Safety Advisory Board.

The Moore administration touted the fact that the hundreds of appointees in this year’s Green Bag were 51% women and 49% people of color, in line with the first three years of the administration when women and people of color each accounted for just over half of the total appointments.

All of which is well and good, but here at Maryland Matters we want the skinny on who’s who. A quick scan of the 16-page list of appointees turned up not a trace of scandal or controversy — we’re happy about that, really — but there were a lot of familiar names on the list. In no particular order:

In the education world, Isiah Leggett was reappointed to the Accountability and Implementation Board for Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and Joshua Michael was reappointed to his seat on the State Board of Education. Former Baltimore County Executive Don Mohler and former Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis were appointed, and reappointed, to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.

Former Anne Arundel County Del. Ned Carey was appointed to the Maryland Aviation Commission along with David Winstead, the state Transportation Secretary under Gov. Parris Glendening. Former Washington County Sen. Andrew Serafini got a seat on the Hagerstown Community College Board of Trustees.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates was named to the Handgun Roster Board and Eric Costello adds to his resume — former Baltimore City Councilmember, current Atlas Restaurant Group director of government relations and, most importantly, recent fiance to Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd) — with an appointment to the board of MEDCO, the Maryland Economic Development Corp.

This was the first Green Bag delivery for Appointments Secretary Mollie Byron, who was appointed to the job of appointments maven last year. The process for Green Bag appointments is centuries old and written into the state constitution. Under it, the list of the governor’s appointments are delivered to the Senate in a — wait for it — green bag. The Senate then acts on the appointments as part of its advise and consent role.

The tradition of the Green Bag is said to stem from colonial days, when lawyers carried important papers in green bags, but research by state archivists has turned up a spottier history. The term “green bag” has been in use in Maryland for centuries, and the practice of delivering appointments in an actual green bag has been an annual tradition since at least 1951, their research said.

– Sam Gauntt contributed to this story as a reporter for Capital News Service, a student-staffed reporting service operated by the University of Maryland’s Phillip Merrill College of Journalism.