ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore won’t say whether he will serve another four years if reelected. His lieutenant governor, Aruna Miller, won’t say whether she’s prepared to take his place.
With Election Day approaching, the two Democrats have left voters without direct answers to a consequential question about who will lead Maryland if Moore leaves office before a potential second term ends.
Under Maryland’s Constitution, Miller will automatically become governor if Moore resigns. There would be no special election. Voters would have no say in choosing his replacement until the next scheduled gubernatorial election in November 2030.
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 26: Maryland Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore (R) and lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Aruna Miller hold a campaign rally at the Stamp Student Union on the campus of the University of Maryland on October 26, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. An Army veteran, television host and former investment banker, Moore, who is leading Republican nominee Dan Cox, would be the first Black governor of Maryland if elected in November. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The possibility has taken on new significance as Moore’s growing national profile fuels speculation about a potential presidential campaign in 2028.
During Maryland’s Oct. 6 gubernatorial debate, Moore declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer when asked if he would serve a full second term.
“I think I gave the answer,” Moore said. “I’m committed to the people of Maryland, and that’s why I’m running for reelection.”
The response marked a departure from his previous commitment to serve another four years.
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But Moore’s political ambitions are only part of the question facing voters. The other concerns Miller, whose qualifications, judgment and role in major administration decisions could come under greater scrutiny if she inherits the state’s highest office.
Maryland state Del. Ryan Nawrocki, a Baltimore County Republican, said that he feels “Maryland is already like the Titanic,” in that it’s “already sinking right now.”
With Lieutenant Governor, then [possibly a] Governor Aruna Miller at that point in time, we should have another iceberg hitting the ship, and we’d be going down even faster than we already are,” Nawrocki said.
Spotlight on Maryland asked Moore’s office Tuesday whether he believes Miller is “prepared to lead the state.”
His office did not respond.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – MARCH 29: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks during a news conference with (L-R) Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath about the ongoing response to the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 29, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge collapsed after being struck by the cargo ship Dali at 1:30AM on March 26. A road repair crew was on the bridge at the time, and two members were pulled from the water alive; two others have been found dead, and four remain missing and are presumed dead after the Coast Guard called off rescue efforts. The accident has temporarily closed the Port of Baltimore, one of the largest and busiest on the East Coast of the U.S. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Spotlight also sought an interview with Miller since Friday to discuss her record, responsibilities and readiness to govern independently.
Her office did not respond to those requests or a series of written questions.
During the Moore-Miller reelection announcement in early May at the B&O Museum in Baltimore, Miller took to the stage for less than five minutes to rally supporters before introducing the state’s first lady, Dawn Flythe Moore.
“Are you ready to give Wes Moore and me four more years?” Miller asked.
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Spotlight asked former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Jr., a Republican who served from 2003 to 2007, if he believes Moore may leave his state duties behind for national office.
“Well, he’s already been gone, what, one out of every four days of the first term?” Ehrlich said. “Look, I was a politician. All politicians are ambitious, so I am the last person to criticize ambition in life, whether it is politics or anything else.”
But, it is sort of a contract. It is a contract with the people, and the people hire you for four years, and they expect you to do your job,” Ehrlich added.
But how much do Maryland voters know about their lieutenant governor and the woman who could become their next governor?
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – JANUARY 18: Maryland Governor Wes Moore (L) laughs as Lt. Governor Aruna Miller delivers her inaugural address at the Maryland State House on January 18, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. Miller made history as the first immigrant and first Asian American elected statewide in Maryland. Democrat Moore defeated Republican nominee Dan Cox to become the first Black governor of Maryland and only the third Black person to be elected governor in the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
This week, Spotlight on Maryland showed some residents separate photographs of the governor and the lieutenant governor and asked them to identify the individuals pictured by name.
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None of the people interviewed could identify Miller. The informal exercise was not a scientific survey and does not establish how widely she is recognized statewide.
“I’ve seen her on TV,” said Bernie McNulty, a Catonsville resident visiting Federal Hill in Baltimore. “I probably voted for her.”
A man in a Timonium Walmart parking lot who asked Spotlight on Maryland not to be identified quickly pinned Moore but hesitated on Miller.
I’d like to think I’m up on politics, but I don’t really know who it is,” he said.
Even Washington College political science professor and frequent Spotlight on Maryland analyst Flavio Hickel declined to assess her readiness.
“I don’t really know enough to offer much of an assessment, unfortunately,” Hickel said.
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Spotlight also asked Ehrlich if Miller is ready to lead as governor.
“My honest-to-God answer: I don’t know,” Ehrlich said.
Miller, who immigrated from India at age 7, earned a civil engineering degree, worked 25 years in Montgomery County government’s transportation agency and served eight years in the Maryland House of Delegates.
She became Maryland’s first immigrant elected to statewide office in 2022. If she became governor, she would be the state’s first woman to hold the position.
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – JANUARY 18: Maryland Lt. Governor Aruna Miller delivers her inaugural address on the west side of the Maryland State House on January 18, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. Miller made history as the first immigrant and first Asian American elected statewide in Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Democratic strategist Len Foxwell described Miller as “an exceptional leader” and “an exceptionally talented and experienced public servant” in an interview with Spotlight on Maryland on Monday, citing her decades of government service.
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Nawrocki told Spotlight on Maryland on Thursday that he believes Miller is “a very nice person,” but he has many questions.
[B]eing a nice lady doesn’t make you qualified to run a $67 billion operation,” Nawrocki said. “She has had no accomplishments of note, that I can see, as lieutenant governor, and I don’t believe she is prepared to lead on day one.”
Miller’s most visible responsibilities under Moore have included chairing the work group he formed after six construction workers were killed along Interstate 695 in 2023, soon after the pair assumed office.
The work group helped shape the 2024 Maryland Road Workers Protection Act.
State data show that 1,148 work-zone crashes occurred in 2025, after the task force’s creation, down 12% from 2024. Fatalities decreased to nine during the same period.
Aggressive highway and roadside safety have also been a priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump’s appointed secretary, Sean Duffy.
DUNDALK, MARYLAND – MARCH 26: (2nd L-R) Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), former Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. John Olszewski (D-MD) attend a commemoration ceremony on the anniversary of the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster on March 26, 2025 in Dundalk, Maryland. Six members of a work crew filling potholes on the center span of the bridge were killed when the container ship Dali lost power and collided with the bridge, destroying it and closing the Patapsco River and the Port of Baltimore for weeks. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Miller also chaired Maryland’s Overdose Response Advisory Council. Public records show overdose deaths declined 26% in 2025, but 1,315 Marylanders still died.
This responsibility has also been a priority for former President Joe Biden’s administration, and the Trump White House doubled down on it.
Miller faced significant online criticism after a vendor forced election officials to send replacement mail-in ballots to more than 500,000 voters before Maryland’s June primary.
Ballots get mailed the wrong day. It happens almost in every election,” Miller told FOX News Digital.
At that time, Del. Kathy Szeliga, a Baltimore County Republican, accused Miller of minimizing the problem.
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Miller’s office said election officials acted promptly and safeguards worked. Election officials attributed the problem to a vendor error.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 08: Democratic Lt. gubernatorial nominee Aruna Miller and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore celebrate while addressing supporters after defeating Republican nominee Dan Cox on November 08, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. Moore will make history as the state’s first Black governor. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Separate campaign-finance questions surfaced in 2023 when Salon reported that Miller had received at least $100,000 since 2011 from donors it associated with India’s Hindu national BJP party, known as the Hindutva movement, which believes in the superiority of the Hindu religion over secular democracy.
The Moore-Miller campaign denied that its contributions were linked to Hindutva or international politics.
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Spotlight on Maryland sent multiple questions on Tuesday to Miller’s state office, including:
Miller’s office did not acknowledge or respond to the questions.
“I believe that her record in Annapolis, when she was delegate, demonstrates not only will she be left of Governor Moore,” Nawrocki said. “I believe she will be far left. She will be in line with some of the Democratic socialists we’ve seen around the country.”
Do you have any tips or information related to this story? Send news tips to gmcollins@sbgtv.com or contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.
Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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