Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says "Kamala Harris is the right one to lead us"

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore walked up to the podium at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Wednesday and declared that he believes "Kamala Harris is the right one to lead us in this moment."

Moore said Vice President Kamala Harris was behind Maryland "every step of the way" after the collapse of Baltimore's iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge.

He recalled one of the first phone calls he received when the Dali cargo ship, the size of three football fields, crashed into the Key Bridge on March 26, killing six construction workers.

"'Gov, it's Kamala,'" Moore recounted. "She said, 'I know you spoke to the president. And I want you to know we are here with you every step of the way.'"

Referencing former President Donald Trump's slogan, Moore told Democrats in the United Center that making America great "doesn't mean telling people you're not wanted. Making America great means saying the ambitions of this country would be incomplete without your help."  

He framed Harris' candidacy as "the story of a prosecutor who defended our freedoms and had Maryland's back when we needed it most. And now MVP: We've got yours."   

At one point, Moore had been on a list of potential running mates for Harris after President Biden ended his reelection bid. 

"Seventy-five days and a wakeup to build a future that those who came before us hoped for — and those who come after us deserve," Moore said Wednesday. "Seventy-five days and a wakeup to elect a leader who is willing to believe in the best of us – and that leader is Kamala Harris: the next President of the United States."