Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign slogan — “Leave No One Behind” — sure isn’t being left on the trail now that the governor has taken office.

The slogan is swiftly becoming part of the daily vernacular in Annapolis and beyond.

On Monday, President Joe Biden worked it into his speech at the B&P Tunnel in West Baltimore, saying “We can forge a path of building an economy where no one’s left behind.”

The verbatim phrase could be heard throughout the halls of the State House Tuesday, where it was said during a morning rally against gun violence, during a Health Care for All press conference, and to describe the multipronged approach to oyster repopulation within the Eastern Bay restoration project.

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“If you work with oysters long enough, it can be very contentious. And it’s better that we all work together to get the job done,” Chris Judy, the shellfish division director at the state Department of Natural Resources, told lawmakers at a House hearing.

Republicans worked it into their State of the State response— part of a pledge to hold Moore to his promises.

“Governor Moore has presented an ambitious vision for Maryland, one where he claims that no one will be left behind,” House GOP Leader Jason Buckel said. “We have no disagreement with such a vision. We want every Marylander to succeed, but it will take more than words to realize this goal.”

During a press conference on Tuesday discussing proposals to improve access to health insurance, six different speakers uttered variations of the slogan at least nine times over the course of 25 minutes.

Vincent DeMarco, head of the Maryland Citizens Health Initiative, name-checked the governor and his motto as he discussed the need to help people get health insurance. “As Gov. Wes Moore said in his inaugural address, there are still 250,000 uninsured people in Maryland and we can’t leave them behind,” DeMarco said. “No one is going to be left behind.”

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And finally, the words greet motorists on signs as they enter the state — which, frankly, is terrible advice when it comes to hitchhikers.

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Sometimes you just have to ask

When President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday, an enterprising member of the Maryland House of Delegates will be in attendance.

Del. Carl Jackson tells The Baltimore Banner that he’s always wanted to witness the State of the Union in person. Knowing that members of Congress often bring guests, the Baltimore County Democrat asked U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin for an invite.

But that was during the height of the pandemic, when attendance was limited as a health precaution. Now that many restrictions have been relaxed, Jackson thought he’d try again.

Jackson connected with Cardin at Comptroller Brooke Lierman’s inauguration in January and asked again. This time the senator said yes.

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com