Before the Baltimore Ravens fell to the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spent some time working the crowds outside M&T Bank Stadium and pumping up support for the home team.
His tailgating adventures included chanting, hugging and shotgunning what appeared to be a Hoop Tea alcoholic beverage with a group of Ravens fans. Moore held his own, quickly chugging the drink and then crushing the can in his hands before sharing some celebratory high-fives.
It wasn’t the first time a politician has celebrated with folks by throwing back a boozy bevvie, and it almost certainly won’t be the last.
Moore’s not even the only Democratic governor to indulge in the last year. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker caught and took a Jell-O shot that was tossed to him during Chicago’s Pride Parade in June last year. He downed it “in one gulp,” according to The Daily Beast.
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Rep. Jared Golden shotgunned a beer in support of Maine lobstermen at a University of Maine homecoming game in 2022, according to News Center Maine. Golden, a Democrat, has been in office since 2019 representing Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
It’s not just American politicians, either. In July 2023, a Vancouver city councillor and the mayor shotgunned alcoholic drinks on stage during an outdoor festival.
The celebratory chugs drew mixed reactions, but the city councillor said he did not regret taking the drink — just that it was a “foul-tasting” can of flavored vodka.
Less recently, then-Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu picked up the nozzle from a keg and helped a Louisiana State University fan do a keg stand. Landrieu, a Democrat, lost her bid for reelection in 2014.
Also in 2014, famous — or perhaps infamous — icons of Baltimore Twitter David Simon and Martin O’Malley shared beers on an Amtrak from New York City to Baltimore.
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Simon, the creator of “The Wire,” and O’Malley, the former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor, had long been not-so-secret foes, in part because of how Simon portrayed the character Mayor Tommy Carcetti in “The Wire,” often seen as a stand-in for O’Malley, according to Baltimore magazine.
O’Malley was governor at the time of the encounter, which Simon described in his blog. O’Malley, who was term-limited as governor of Maryland, announced his bid for president in 2015 and dropped out of the race in 2016. He is now the head of the Social Security Administration.
So go ahead — Dry January is almost over — take some time this week to responsibly celebrate with your favorite alcoholic beverage (or nonalcoholic alternative!). You’ll be in good company.
Correction: This story was updated to reflect the correct year that Martin O’Malley dropped out of the presidential race.
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