Maryland Gov. Wes Moore officially announced Tuesday that he will seek reelection in 2026, positioning himself for a second term while brushing aside persistent chatter about a potential presidential run in 2028.
In a video kicking off his campaign, Moore framed his reelection effort as a fight for working families in the face of President Donald Trump’s policies.
“While we stand up for middle-class Marylanders, the president of the United States is bending over backwards for billionaires and big corporations, firing federal workers, gutting Medicaid, raising prices on everything from electricity to groceries,” Moore said. “I’m asking you to re-elect me governor.
It’s time to make it official: I’m running for re-election.
— Wes Moore (@iamwesmoore) September 9, 2025
Marylanders need a governor who will continue to look out for them and stand up for our jobs, our health care, and our rights.
So, let’s get to work! https://t.co/33JIzGd92J pic.twitter.com/GxW5Ei0cZ5
Moore, a former Army officer and best-selling author, has quickly risen as one of the Democratic Party’s most visible governors since his historic election in 2022.
His profile has only grown as he’s taken sharp aim at Trump’s second-term agenda, especially policies targeting federal workers and social programs that have outsized impacts in Maryland.
In recent months, Moore has made Baltimore a centerpiece of his platform, offering steady support to Mayor Brandon Scott as the city grapples with federal threats.
Moore has criticized the Trump administration’s consideration of a wider crime and immigration crackdown in Baltimore, calling the move “an attack on our communities masked as public safety.”
Even as Moore insists his focus is on Annapolis, political observers continue to wonder if the Maryland governor is preparing for a bigger stage.
On NBC’s Meet The Press this past weekend, Moore faced a barrage of questions about 2028. His answer was consistent: “I’m not running. I’m really excited about going back in front of the people in my state and asking for another term.”
The same refrain came during an appearance on The View over the summer. Yet Moore’s frequent national appearances, from Fox News sparring sessions about Trump’s policies to a commencement address at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and a high-profile trip to South Carolina, keep speculation alive.
In South Carolina, Moore spoke candidly about lessons from the Trump years. “We can and we must condemn Donald Trump’s reckless actions. But we would also be foolish not to learn from his impatience,” he told a local audience.
For some Democrats, those words sounded less like a governor playing defense and more like a leader testing a national message.
Moore’s denials bring to mind another rising Democrat who once dismissed presidential chatter before launching a successful campaign: then-Sen. Barack Obama, who said in 2006 that he would not run, only to announce his candidacy months later.
Maryland remains a deep-blue state, giving Moore a strong advantage heading into 2026. But his campaign is likely to draw outsized attention because of what it may signal for the future of the Democratic Party.
For now, Moore insists the focus is on delivering for his constituents. “I’m asking Marylanders for another term because there’s still more work to do. We’ve made progress, but I know we can go further — together,” he said in his announcement.
