Gov. Wes Moore — in his first extended public comments since the Democratic presidential nominee he spent months campaigning for was soundly defeated by Republican Donald Trump — said Friday his team is actively preparing to both work with and combat the incoming administration.

“We will vigorously defend the interests of all Marylanders, and we are ready to push back on this new administration when necessary,” Moore said to start a meeting with his cabinet at the State House. “But, and importantly, where we can find common ground, we will — not only as a matter of principle, but as a responsibility to the people who we represent.”

The Democratic governor did not offer specifics of his administration’s plans, which he said his chief of staff and others have been working on for about nine months.

Those preparations took into account all possible outcomes, he said. Friday’s cabinet meeting, which included more than 30 top advisors and cabinet secretaries, was closed to the press after Moore’s initial remarks, though he said the purpose of it was to begin turning the plans into “clear strategy that can be operationalized and executed.”

“This team has worked tirelessly for months analyzing how any scenario plan might impact our state, analyzing how an incoming Trump administration might impact Maryland,” Moore said.

Moore, an increasingly prominent figure in the national Democratic Party since his election two years ago, had been named as a potential presidential or vice presidential candidate by some when President Joe Biden’s chances at re-election diminished and before he dropped his bid in July.

After Vice President Kamala Harris became the nominee, Moore became a top surrogate for her campaign — traveling frequently to swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina. He fundraised, gave a primetime Democratic National Convention speech in Chicago and appeared frequently on national television all summer and fall, promoting Harris and criticizing Trump.

Throughout it all, he made what he considered the stakes of the race clear with a hometown example — the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The cleanup and rebuilding effort for the bridge that collapsed in March has received the full backing of Biden’s administration, and congressional Republicans have not yet passed legislation for the government to fully fund the rebuild.

The bridge is just one of several major projects in Maryland that Democrats believe are at risk in a Trump administration, including the Red Line light rail project in Baltimore and the FBI headquarters relocation to Greenbelt. Numerous other effects could trickle down to the state — impacting everything from education policy to the state budget, where the federal government accounts for about a third of revenues.

“Our goal of making sure that this will be Maryland’s decade has not moved one bit,” Moore said, projecting optimism while avoiding specifics Friday in Annapolis.

Still, he acknowledged the frustrations and anger many are feeling in a state that voted overwhelmingly for Harris, though at smaller margins than it did for Biden four years ago.

“I do understand that there’s a lot of uncertainty. I do understand there’s a lot of very real fear. I do understand there’s a lot of frustration that Marylanders are worried about what this election is going to mean for themselves and their families and their future,” said Moore, who did not answer questions from the media.

Democrats who control both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly, who will return to Annapolis in January for the annual 90-day session, are also preparing for the new administration.

Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones said in a joint statement the legislature “is well-positioned to protect and build on our progress as a state.”

Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, a Republican representing the upper Eastern Shore, said in a statement that his GOP colleagues were “pleased to hear” Moore’s comments about finding common ground with the incoming president.

“We are also committed to helping our Democratic colleagues navigate this relationship for the benefit of all Marylanders,” Hershey said. “We encourage the governor and his team to remember that the message hardworking Americans sent to Washington also applies in Maryland — they are struggling, and the cost of their daily routines is getting harder and harder to manage.”

Have a news tip or question about this story? Contact politics editor Candy Woodall at cwoodall @baltsun.com.