BALTIMORE — The Primary Election has ended.
Now, we wait for all of the votes to be counted.
Republican Dan Cox, a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate, clinched his gubernatorial nomination onto November’s ballot.
His challenger has yet to be decided.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, Wes Moore was leading the Democratic race over Tom Perez.
The race for the Democratic nomination is one of several that will be decided by mail-in ballots.
Per state law, no elections office can start counting mail-in votes until 10 a.m. Thursday.
We’re told it could take weeks for the final numbers to determine who will be on November’s governor’s ballot, replacing Gov. Larry Hogan.
“We are standing here today because we are a room full of people who believe,” Moore said Tuesday night. So far, Wes Moore is in the lead for Democrats with 37 percent of voters support, with Tom Perez trailing right behind him with 27 percent of support from voters.
MORE: Dan Cox wins Republican nomination for Maryland governor, Wes Moore leads Democrats
Moore fueling his campaign with a message of creating more equitable communities and leaving no one behind.
“It started with an idea that we knew that we could build a state, build a state that was going to be inclusive, that was going to be energetic that was going to be unapologetically bold and that was going to be equitable,” Moore said.
MORE: Hogan accuses Trump of colluding with Democrats, costing GOP Governor's race
On the Republican side, state delegate Dan Cox received the official Republican nomination fueling his campaign by claiming to restore freedom to Marylanders.
“Once again, we see that freedom matters,” Cox said. “It matters to all parties in Maryland. It matters to every background. We’re excited to carry that banner of freedom.”
MORE: Trump jabs Hogan while endorsing 2022 candidate for Maryland Governor
Cox’s opinions on issues involving things like vaccinations and government lockdowns are somewhat controversial but it’s what he believes is most relatable to Marylanders.
“The progressive Democrats, they are candidacy, as the only one willing to stand up and articulate the values that everyone loves in Maryland,” Cox said. “The progressive value of the bigger government, more lockdowns, vaccine passports, the jabs for jobs -- these are out the window in my administration and that’s why I’m reaching out to every background saying please join us we’re the candidacy that’s going to give you your freedom back.”
According to the state board of elections, the final primary results could be delayed for weeks due to the extensive amount of mail-in ballots they will start tallying on Thursday.
And while everyone is waiting patiently for the final numbers, candidates alike say this will be a time for Marylanders to decide what they want for the future of our state.
"This is the time for Maryland to grow,” Moore said. “This is the time for Maryland to compete. This is the time for Maryland to win, but let’s be clear, come January, the new mission for the state of Maryland, as we will be a state that leaves no one behind because we don’t have to.”
“I think this is a time where we can come together in unify on the issues that matter most to us that includes our family, our children,” Cox said.
More than 500,000 people requested mail-in ballots for the primary election on Tuesday.
In the 2018, Gubernatorial Primary election there was only a little more than 42,000 mail-in ballots sent out. Organizers said that’s part of the reason the totals numbers will be delayed.
