AP joins CBS News in declaring Wes Moore the winner of Democratic primary for governor

BALTIMORE – The Associated Press has called Maryland's Democratic gubernatorial primary for Wes Moore, after earlier in the day saying the race was too close to call.

CBS News and NBC News called the race on Friday morning as Moore held a 7-point advantage.

After election workers across the state tallied mail-in ballots for a second straight day, the race stands with Moore (34.2%) still well ahead of Tom Perez (27.8%) and Peter Franchot (21.7%), with all precincts reporting from Election Day and more than 513,000 mail-in ballots tabulated.

The Associated Press cited outstanding votes in Montgomery County, where Perez leads Moore by about 17,000 votes, in its decision not to call the race Friday afternoon.

Moore--an author, military veteran, Rhodes Scholar and nonprofit CEO--first gained recognition for his 2010 bestselling memoir, "The Other Wes Moore."

Moore told WJZ last week his top three priorities are equity, the environment and keeping Maryland competitive.

"One, we have to make sure our state is more competitive but also make it more equitable and that's not a decision, we have to do both. The second thing is, that we've got to close the racial wealth gap," Moore said. "Right now in the state of Maryland, the racial wealth gap - that's hurting everybody. The third thing is, we've gotta deal with the issue of climate, you've gotta deal with the environment, we've got to make sure we are protecting our assets." 

Moore will square off against projected Republican nominee Dan Cox, a Maryland State Delegate who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Cox leads Hogan-backed hopeful Kelly Schulz by 13 points as of Friday.  

If elected, Moore would become the first Black governor in Maryland history.

Franchot, the state's comptroller, conceded the race in the afternoon and called for Democrats to rally behind the presumptive nominee.

But Perez's campaign signaled it was not throwing in the towel until all the votes are counted.

"Put simply, it's too early to call this race," Perez's campaign manager wrote in a statement. "Yesterday was the first day of counting for the 212,962 recorded and received vote-by-mail ballots and it was a huge day for Tom Perez."

The statement noted that Perez flipped multiple counties since Election Day and has continued gaining ground across the state. It pointed out that the largest share of uncounted votes is in Montgomery County, where the former Labor Secretary has an "incredibly strong base."

Franchot, meanwhile, released a statement congratulating Moore for becoming the apparent nomination and a successful campaign. Saying there is so much at stake, he called for party unity in the November general election.

"With voting rights, Roe v. Wade, health care, common sense gun control, climate change, and economic stability being the key issues of this moment, it is vital that Marylanders come together to elect a Democrat to be the next governor," Franchot said. "I stand ready to ensure this happens and encourage Marylanders to make sure their voices are heard in November."

Moore was raised by a single mother after his father died when Moore was 3. He graduated from Valley Forge Military College and Johns Hopkins University and won a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford University.

He later served as a captain and paratrooper with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne and saw combat in Afghanistan.

He started and eventually sold a small business called BridgeEdU, which, according to his website, "reinvents freshman year of college for underserved students to increase their likelihood of long-term success." During his four years as CEO of the anti-poverty nonprofit Robin Hood Foundation, the organization distributed more than $600 million to help impoverished families.

Moore has written a number of books, including "The Other Wes Moore," a memoir that juxtaposes his life with that of another man with the same name and a similar background who ended up serving a life sentence for murder.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.