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Following our announcement of the full 2025 Texas Tribune Festival lineup, we have even more big news to share: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore opens this year’s festival in conversation with former “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd.

Elected governor in 2022, Moore joins Todd for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of his state, the state of the nation, and the state of his party in this extraordinary moment.

Our opening keynote begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at First Baptist Church Sanctuary, following a full day of can’t-miss TribFest programming in downtown Austin.

Moore is the 63rd governor of Maryland, the first Black governor in the state’s 246-year history, and only the third African American ever elected governor in the United States. He’s the author of “The Other Wes Moore,” a perennial New York Times bestseller, and the recent “Five Days,” which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.

Todd is host of “The ChuckToddCast,” a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with political leaders. The six-time Emmy winner previously moderated “Meet the Press” and co-moderated major presidential debates.

Our opening keynote is just one of more than 120 conversations across three days with national and Texas leaders shaping our politics, policy and our future. At TribFest, they come to engage with one another — and you — because those who gather here shape the future of our communities.

Buy your TribFest tickets now and join the conversation.

Disclosure: New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.


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Matt Ewalt joined The Texas Tribune as senior director of events and live journalism in March 2023. He previously worked at Chautauqua Institution in Western New York in various roles, including vice president…
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