马里兰州州长韦斯・摩尔表示，他 “深感担忧”，特朗普总统可能动用联邦政府权力干预今年秋季的中期选举。此时特朗普正处于总统任期最后两年，力图维持自身影响力。
摩尔即将出任美国全国州长协会（NGA）主席。在一场采访中，这位被外界视作 2028 年民主党总统潜在候选人的州长细数特朗普一系列相关动作：限制邮寄投票、向各州索要选民信息，甚至可能向投票站派遣联邦军队或联邦探员。摩尔称，全国州长协会作为两党合作组织，应当发挥作用，保障各州依照美国宪法规定自主管理选举。
“总统对此毫不掩饰，” 摩尔说，“我担忧的不只是总统可能采取哪些行动，我更担心他已经在众目睽睽之下付诸行动。”
47 岁的摩尔将于周六正式执掌全国州长协会。比尔・克林顿担任阿肯色州州长时，也曾出任这一协会主席。外界频繁猜测摩尔会宣布参选总统，但他本人予以否认，称在 11 月大选到来之前不会 “分散精力”。
不过，摩尔近期前往南卡罗来纳州、内华达州等总统初选关键州走访，外界普遍认为他未来或将参选。摩尔擅长线上舆论传播，塑造出政坛新人形象，而当下选民普遍期待变革。
摩尔就任全国州长协会主席后的核心议程，是推出一项全国性计划：建设社区、依托志愿服务吸引年轻人进入劳动力市场，这也可能成为他日后竞选纲领的核心支柱。
“志愿服务能够拯救我们的社会，我深知志愿服务改变了我自己。” 曾服役于美军的摩尔如此说道。
这项名为 “联合服务（Service United）” 的项目获得 1000 万美元慈善资金支持，是摩尔在马里兰州推行同类政策的延伸。本周，他刚宣布在马里兰州追加 500 万美元，扩大学徒培养项目规模。
凯撒医疗集团执行副总裁兼首席卫生官贝沙拉・舒凯尔表示：“该项目能为人们搭建职业发展通道。” 凯撒医疗正依托 “联合服务” 项目组建青年心理健康工作队伍。
安德鲁・卡内基基金会主席路易丝・理查森女爵也为项目提供支持。她希望未来有一天，人们见面不再只问 “你在哪所大学读书？”，还会询问 “你在哪完成了志愿服务年？”
这项倡议得到部分共和党州长支持，即将卸任全国州长协会主席的俄克拉荷马州州长凯文・斯蒂特便是其中一员。
“我很看好学徒模式，让年轻人走出课堂，投身职场实践。” 斯蒂特评价，“我认为这个构想非常出色。”
但这份乐观之下，摩尔接手这个为数不多仍能维系两党州长对话的平台，挑战重重。尽管各方倡导跨党派合作，但美国两党内部、党派之间的分歧根深蒂固。
斯蒂特虽然对摩尔的项目表达赞许，同时也提醒，应当警惕一切类似 “大政府计划” 的举措。
摩尔则谈到，人工智能发展不断冲击就业市场，大量入门级岗位面临消失风险，民众对政府应对劳动力市场变革的方式普遍感到不满，而白宫的政策进一步加剧了局面的复杂性。
“我们希望实现这样一种局面：无论年轻人选择四年制大学，还是放弃就读，都能拥有长期增收、积累财富的发展路径。” 摩尔表示，“但从目前联邦政府的行动来看，大多只是出台行政命令，要求各州不要插手相关事务。”
摩尔与特朗普关系紧张。今年早些时候，全国州长协会筹办白宫会议，特朗普一度打算拒绝邀请摩尔与科罗拉多州民主党州长贾里德・波利斯参会。经斯蒂特从中斡旋，特朗普才松口，但双方关系并未修复。今年 2 月全国州长协会在华盛顿举办例行会议时，双方有可能再度爆发冲突。
谈及特朗普，摩尔称自己乐于和两党州长开展合作，随后补充道：“但美国总统在关乎国家长远未来的议题上，似乎始终秉持意识形态优先的立场。”
白宫方面没有针对摩尔的表态作出回应。
与此同时，摩尔还需要应对民主党内部的派系分裂。
摩尔今年秋季将寻求马里兰州州长连任。在本州政坛，他有时难以争取州议会民主党议员的支持；州议会下周将重新开会，审议选区重划宪法修正案，摩尔此前力推的相关方案此前未能通过。
民主党全国委员会内部局势动荡。从纽约市到丹佛，多名民主社会主义者在党内初选中胜出，引发争论：民主党是否持续向左翼大幅偏移，或将影响秋季大选选情。密歇根州、威斯康星州即将到来的选举，会进一步放大党内分歧。
摩尔没有明确站队民主党内部任何一派。被问及民主社会主义者是否会拖累民主党大选战绩时，他回避直接评判，强调候选人归属应当由选民决定。
“政党大佬不应当决定党内候选人是谁，最终决定权属于民众。” 他并未指明这番话是否指向纽约州联邦参议员、民主党参议院领袖舒默。
但摩尔同时明确表示，自己并不认同左翼阵营部分主张。
“我清楚自己在各项议题上的立场：我不支持废除警察局，不支持取消监狱，也反对开放边境。”
摩尔最大的考验，或许是平稳走完今年大选周期，同时维持全国州长协会一贯的两党对话基调。共和党方面不断呼吁收紧选举规则，尤其是选民身份核验、邮寄选票截止时间等条款；民主党州长则警告，严苛规则容易造成选民压制，摩尔将身处两大阵营中间。
北卡罗来纳州民主党州长乔希・斯坦所在的州选情激烈，今年秋季还将迎来关键联邦参议员竞选。他和摩尔有着同样的担忧。
“只要理性思考，人们都会感到忧虑，所有信号都令人不安。” 斯坦在采访中表示，“但即便如此，我相信只要大量选民踊跃投票、自主表达意愿，政府就会反映民众诉求。”
白宫发言人艾比盖尔・杰克逊作出回应：“倘若民主党人真的关心选举安全，就应当推动《拯救美国法案》立法。” 该法案要求选民登记时出示公民身份证明，目前在参议院陷入停滞。
斯蒂特相信各州能够独立完成选举、无需联邦干预，同时他本人支持这项选举法案。但他同样反对联邦政府插手地方选举事务，称：“各州应当掌控自身选举事务。”
摩尔回忆，过去他一听到 “各州权利” 这套说辞，总会联想到布尔・康纳这类种族隔离主义者。布尔・康纳是阿拉巴马州伯明翰市前公共安全专员，民权运动时期动用高压水枪、警犬驱赶和平抗议者。
摩尔表示，特朗普执政时代重塑了他的看法，也让他更加意识到：强有力的州长群体至关重要。
Maryland governor ＇very concerned＇ Trump will interfere in midterms
OKLAHOMA CITY --OKLAHOMA CITY （AP） —Gov． Wes Moore of Marylandsaid he is “very concerned” that PresidentDonald Trumpwill wield the power of the federal government to thwart themidterm electionsthis fall as the Republican tries to maintain his grip on power during the final two years of his administration．
In an interview as he becomes chair of the National Governors Association， the potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender ticked through Trump＇sefforts to restrict voting by mail， obtain voter information from states and possibly deploy federal troops or agents to polling places． Moore said there was a role for the NGA， a bipartisan group， to ensure states are able to oversee elections as designed by the U．S． Constitution．
“I don＇t think that the president is trying to hide the ball on this，” Moore said． “It＇s not even am I concerned about what the president could do？ I＇m concerned about what he＇s already doing in broad daylight．”
The 47-year-old governor＇s national profile is rising as he assumes the top leadership post for the nation＇s governors on Saturday， a role once held byBill Clintonwhen he was governor of Arkansas． Moore is the subject of frequent speculation that he will announcea presidential run， a prospect he rules out， saying he will not “get distracted” before the November elections．
His travel to early presidential testing grounds such as South Carolina and Nevada， though， suggests he may run． Moore is proving himself a savvy digital communicator and crafts an image as a newcomer to politics while voters demand change．
The centerpiece of his agenda as NGA chair — a national program to build communities and draw young people into the workforce throughservice-oriented work— could be a pillar of a future campaign．
“Service will save us as a society because I know service saved me，” he said， recalling his time in the Army．
The “Service United” campaign opens with $10 million in philanthropic support to build on similar work Moore has done in Maryland， including a $5 million expansion of an apprenticeship program in the state announced this week．
“It＇s an opportunity to help people with a career path，” said Bechara Choucair， the executive vice president and chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente， which is building a youth mental health corps with Service United．
Dame Louise Richardson， the president of the Andrew Carnegie Foundation， which is supporting the program， said she hopes to “see the day when you meet somebody， they don＇t just ask， ‘Where did you go to college？’ but they ask， ‘Where did you do your service year？’”
The contours of the initiative have drawn support from some Republicans， includingOklahoma Gov． Kevin Stitt， the outgoing NGA chair．
“One of the things I like is the apprenticeship model and getting kids out of the classroom and into more workforce learning，” Stitt said． “So I think that＇s brilliant．”
But that optimism masks the challenge facing Moore as he takes the helm of one of the few remaining political groups that bring top Republicans and Democrats together． For all the nods at bipartisanship， the divides between — and within — the parties run deep．
Even as he spoke warmly of Moore＇s program， Stitt warned against anything resembling a “big government program．”
Moore， meanwhile， spoke of public frustration with the government’s response to dramatic changes in the workforce， driven byadvances in artificial intelligencethat could erode entry-level work that has long helped young people start their careers． He said the White House has complicated the dynamic．
“We want to say that if a person goes on to a four-year college or chooses not to go to a four-year college， they still need to have pathways to long-term wages and wealth，＂ Moore said． “What we have seen from the federal government thus far has just been simply executive orders that have told the states to stay out of it．”
Moore has a challenging relationship withTrump， who sought to bar himand Gov． Jared Polis， D-Colo．， from a White House meeting organized by the NGA earlier this year． The president relented after Stitt intervened， though there is little to suggest that the relationship has recovered， raising the potential of another confrontation at the next NGA meeting， traditionally held February in Washington．
When asked about Trump， Moore noted his enjoyment at working with governors from both parties before saying “the president of the United States seems to consistently take an ideological view when it comes to securing the future of this country．＂
The White House did not comment on Moore＇s characterization．
But Moore also is contending with divides among his fellow Democrats．
At home in Maryland， where he is seeking reelection this fall， he has at times struggled to win over Democrats in the legislature， which reconvenes next week to consider a constitutional amendment on redistricting after an earlier effort he backedfell short．
The Democratic National Committee is in turmoil． A string ofdemocratic socialists has won primariesfrom New York City to Denver， prompting debate over whether the party is moving too far to the left and threatening its potential victories in the fall． Upcoming elections in Michigan and Wisconsin will further tug at the divide．
Moore did not take a firm stance with either of his party＇s ideological wings． He batted away questions about democratic socialists potentially imperiling Democratic wins， insisting it was up to voters to decide who their nominees would be．
“Party bosses shouldn＇t be determining who members of the party are，” he said， without specifying whether he was referring to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York as one of them． “The people should be the ones to have a final say on that．”
At the same time， Moore made clear that he did not support some of the left flank＇s positions．
“I know where I am on issues，” he said． “I don＇t believe in abolishing the police． I don＇t believe in abolishing prisons． I don＇t believe in open borders．”
But perhaps the biggest test for Moore will be navigating the management of this year＇s elections without denting the bipartisan tone that typically defines the NGA． He will be in the middle of Republicans who are calling for tougher rules， particularly around voter identification and deadlines for mail ballots， and fellow Democrats who warn of voter suppression．
Democratic Gov． Josh Stein of North Carolina， who leads one of the most politically competitive states that includes a marquee Senate race this fall， echoed Moore＇s concerns about federal interference．
“I don’t think you can be a clear-thinking person and not be concerned because all the signals are very worrisome，” he said in an interview． “But that said， I have confidence that if the voters come out in droves and vote the way that they want to vote， that the government will represent their wishes．”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that ＂if Democrats really cared about securing our elections， they would pass the SAVE America Act，” referring to a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill that is stalled in the Senate．
Stitt expressed confidence that states would hold elections without federal intervention while noting his support for the voting bill． But he also rejected federal intervention and said： ＂States should control their own elections．”
Moore said he used to associate states’ rights arguments with segregationists like Bull Connor， the infamous public safety commissioner in Birmingham， Alabama， who turned fire hoses and dogs on peaceful protesters during the Civil Rights era．
Now， Moore said， the Trump era has reshaped his views and reinforced “the importance of having actually strong governors．”
