Moore touts friendship with GOP governor as he takes over national association

OKLAHOMA CITY — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore officially took over as chair of the National Governors Association on Saturday, assuming the prominent position just ahead of a high-stakes national election that could reset the balance of power in Washington and across the states.

Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt handed the gavel to Moore, a Democrat, on Saturday, at the capital city’s National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Over the course of the organization’s summer meeting here, the pair repeatedly touted their close personal friendship as a model for more civil public discourse in these politically divisive times.

“His friendship means a lot to me,” Stitt said. “And it’s not just up here on stage.”

Moore, who donned cowboy boots for his trek to Oklahoma, shared similar sentiments.

“We have had some really amazing times, but also just some really complicated times over this past year,” he said. “And I am so thankful, Kevin, that you were the one that helped lead us through it.”

Earlier this year, Stitt clashed with President Donald Trump, who sought to uninvite Democratic governors, including Moore, from a traditionally bipartisan meeting at the White House. Stitt called off that event, saying the National Governors Association could not facilitate a partisan meeting. Stitt still attended the White House event, recast as unaffiliated with the governors’ group.

This week in Oklahoma City, governors of both parties emphasized that their states are not the hotbed of political partisanship that defines Washington, D.C. Moore and Stitt repeatedly called for a political environment with more dignity and less division.

Moore is widely speculated as a potential future presidential candidate. On Friday, Kristen Welker, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, asked him whether a Democrat could win the party’s nomination in 2028 by leaning into the dignity message.

“Yes,” Moore said. “Because I think the vast majority of people in this country, they do not define themselves as a Democrat or Republican first. The majority of people don’t live like that.”

On Saturday, Moore launched a new NGA initiative called Service United, a bipartisan push for governors to develop state-based service programs modeled after the Service Year Option that he has championed in Maryland.

“Service United is a bipartisan call to governors to create and expand paid service programs in their states,” Moore said in his speech kicking off his chairmanship. “These programs will put people to work meeting urgent needs where those needs are. They will help people to build skills. They will help people to earn credentials. They will connect people with employers, and they will bring together Americans who might not otherwise even know each other.”

NGA secured $10 million from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and the Schultz Family Foundation, to make grants available to states to plan or launch service programs. Moore said states will be able to apply for up to $1.5 million from the fund to build or expand service programs.

“Over the next year, I am asking every governor in this country, Democrat and Republican, for three things,” he said. “First, identify one urgent need in your state that paid service can help to meet. Two, build a model to recruit and support the next generation into this work. And three, make sure that the service for that young person leads somewhere.”

In addition to installing Moore as its next chair, the NGA installed Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) as vice chair and chairman-elect. Moore becomes the seventh Maryland governor to lead the organization since its 1908 founding, the most recent being Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in 2019-2020. The association includes governors from all 50 states and five U.S. territories.