Despite calls for him to seek the presidency in 2028, Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he isn’t running. The rising Democratic star left no ambiguity when asked if he would enter the race, as his party desperately searches for its standard bearer after devastating losses in the 2024 election.
“I am not running,” Moore said repeatedly when pressed by “The View” host Joy Behar on Thursday. The 46-year-old first-term governor explained that he is instead focused on reelection in 2026 and ensuring success for the state of Maryland.
“I’m really excited about the work that’s happening right now in the state of Maryland,” said Moore, who pointed to the state’s first-in-the-nation year of service program for high school graduates and “most aggressive housing package” to ensure greater access to homeownership.
Moore similarly told Politico, “I am clear — I’m not running…But what I am doing is running to make sure that Maryland really is going to have the most explosive decade that it’s had at any time in recent history.”
Since entering politics in the 2022 gubernatorial election, Moore has become a favorite in Democratic circles. Supporters have pointed to his profile, having served in the U.S. Army and as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, as signs of a future president in the making. He’s also been compared to former President Barack Obama for his charisma and oratory skills.
Hollywood star and Democratic megadonor George Clooney put an even bigger spotlight on Moore when he recently told CNN, “I think he could be someone we could all join in behind.”
However, Moore told Politico, “I think that anyone who is, you know, focusing their time and their efforts trying to audition for 2028, to me, what it says is, you’re not taking 2025 very seriously.”
Despite Moore’s pronouncement that he will not pursue the White House in 2028, it is unlikely to quell speculation or calls for him to get in the race. The Maryland governor will notably headline the South Carolina Democratic Party’s annual Palmetto State Dinner, where previous presidential candidates have attended. South Carolina is a crucial state for any future Democratic presidential candidate, as it is the first primary state of the presidential election cycle.
Political pundit and host of Sirius XM’s “The Reecie Colbert,” Reecie Colbert, previously told theGrio that Moore, in just three years as governor, has achieved major accomplishments, including improving Maryland’s economy post the COVID-19 pandemic, and tending to crises like the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
“He could say, ‘Hey, look, in our state, we invested in workers, we raised the minimum wage, we got poverty down, we created pathways for new careers for people, whether that’s federal workers, or for people coming out of high school, coming out of college,’” explained Colbert, who is a Maryland resident.
She continued, “[Moore] can point to tangible investments that he’s made in the state and say, ‘This is what I plan to do in the country.’ So he has the receipts. He’s not a person who can just engage in rhetorical flourishes and pipe dreams.”
She added, “He can actually point to tangible things that he’s done in a state that is a big state. It’s hard to do big things in a big state like this, but he’s managed to do it.”
