Wes Moore, the Democratic governor of Maryland, was still greeting guests as his aide guided him out of an afternoon cocktail event held at an Italian restaurant overlooking the Chicago River. Accompanied by a group of aides and security personnel, he and his wife, Dawn, exited through a side door, maneuvering through a narrow hallway filled with trays of appetizers, and eventually found their way into a spacious service elevator.
The Democratic National Convention is not only a celebratory gathering but also a hectic logistical challenge for prominent officials like Governor Moore, whose attendance is highly sought after.
“You encounter a lot of behind-the-scenes areas,” he remarked. “There’s a saying we learned in the military: ‘Stay frosty.’ This means being prepared for things to change, and we’ve certainly seen that during the convention.”
At 45 years old, Moore, a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan, was the guest of honor at the cocktail reception organized by the With Honor PAC, which collaborates with veterans in Congress. He had just come from another event, a panel discussion organized by the Black Economic Alliance, where he shared his views on patriotism, family, and his efforts in criminal justice reform. He had engaged with many people throughout the day.