Dem Maryland governor says he enjoys ‘shotgunning beers,’ football as many feel masculinity is on ballot

AUSTIN, Texas – Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he enjoys pounding beers like a stereotypical man as the subject of masculinity has become a prominent topic in the media's coverage of the 2024 presidential race.

The notion of masculinity came to the forefront last month after CNN’s Dana Bash suggested Democratic National Convention honchos worked to win the support of men who prefer speakers such as Gov. Tim Walz and second gentleman Doug Emhoff to wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who famously tore off his shirt to announce support for Trump at July’s Republican National Convention. 

Moore, who also spoke at the DNC, believes one can embrace traditionally masculine traits while also being supportive of women, insisting they aren't mutually exclusive. 

"I’m deeply proud of the person that I am. Yes, I am a person who enjoys shotgunning beers before football games, watching sports and playing football," Moore told Fox News Digital during an interview at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. 

"I am a person who is also deeply supportive of supporting growth of women in elected leadership," Moore continued. "I don’t think that we put ourselves in boxes in these things."

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Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas on Sep. 6, 2024. (Joseph A. Wulfsohn/Fox News Digital)

Moore, a passionate Baltimore Ravens fan, played college football at Johns Hopkins University, where he was a star wide receiver who averaged 25.2 yards per reception as a senior. He’s also a U.S. Army veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan as a lieutenant. 

As traditionally masculine as his credentials may be, the governor believes men shouldn't be pigeonholed.

"As we are thinking about ways to support our young boys, as they’re growing into men, I think it’s important that we do not dehumanize their growth, or emasculate their growth," Moore said.

"Being able to say, ‘We support women in leadership roles,’ does not make us any less manly," Moore continued. "Women saying, ‘We support men in roles,’ does not make them any less womanly." 

Moore feels it’s important for everyone to have an opportunity to "be who we are," and leave it at that.

"That should be enough … to be who you are, and that’s how you should be supported," Moore said. 

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Hulk Hogan, professional entertainer and wrestler, tears his shirt open as he speaks on Day 4 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 18, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

A series of media figures and Harris supporters have suggested Walz and Emhoff embrace a more modern version of masculinity.

"They are doing so in trying to put forward male figures, Tim Walz being one of them, Doug Emhoff last night, who can speak to men out there who might not be the sort of testosterone-laden, you know, gun-toting kind of guy who wants to listen to Hulk Hogan and the kind of players that came out at the RNC," CNN’s Bash said following the DNC. 

Axios published a story headlined, "Two versions of masculinity are on the 2024 ballot," that focused on Walz speaking about the "emotional aspects of parenthood," and Emhoff pausing his legal career to support Harris’ political rise. 

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Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attend Day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Emhoff was called the type of "progressive sex symbol" modern women want by liberal Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell. 

"Emhoff is secure enough with his own masculinity to sometimes prioritize his wife’s ambitions over his own," Rampell wrote. 

"What. A. Hunk," she added, arguing that the Democrats' version of masculinity stands in sharp contrast to Republicans' version of manliness.

"Women at least want a mate who won’t resent their career success — a tangible concern, given that divorce has been statistically more likely when women received job promotions or outearn their husbands. Hence, the Emhoffian ‘wife guy’ fantasy. Which, needless to say, sharply contrasts with conservatives’ portrayal of manliness," she wrote. 

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Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report.