Governors Kevin Stitt (R-Oklahoma) and Wes Moore (D-Maryland) spoke on Friday, August 2nd, 2026, about the increasing partisanship in American politics, blaming partisan primaries for pushing candidates toward more extreme positions. They called for a return to "dignity" in politics and government during a moderated conversation with Dr. Tim Shriver at the National Governors Association summer meeting in Oklahoma City.

Stitt noted that while the most extreme candidate often wins in partisan primaries, general elections tend to favor civility and moderation. He said, "The danger to Moore is he’s going to get outflanked on his left. The danger is to Stitt is he gets outflanked on his right. What’s amazing to me is we agree on 90% of the stuff."

When asked by "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker if dignity could be a quality that wins a presidential election, Stitt responded, "I would think so."

Moore added that most Americans do not primarily identify as Democrats or Republicans, stating, "I think that the vast majority of the people in this country, they do not define themselves as a Democrat or Republican first."

Reflecting on history, Moore mentioned Ames, an African American and Indigenous person who fought in Bunker Hill and Concord for a country that did not fully recognize him as a human being, highlighting the sacrifices made for the nation's future.

Moore also noted legislative efforts in Maryland to ban phones from K-12 schools during the school day and to prohibit AI-generated content in political advertising.

Both governors emphasized that civility can win general elections, but the structure of primaries often promotes partisan extremes.

Sources