Democrat’s high-profile appearances have sparked speculation he’s preparing a presidential campaign
Maryland governor Wes Moore, who has long been floated as a Democratic candidate in the 2028 presidential election, said Tuesday that he will instead run for reelection next year, just days after he pledged to serve a full term if reelected and ruled out a 2028 presidential bid.
“It’s time to make it official: I’m running for re-election,” Moore posted on X. The announcement comes after Moore on Sunday told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker that, if reelected, he is going to be “serving a full term” and “not running for president” in 2028.
Moore made national headlines last week when he and his wife were spotted in Italy aboard a luxury yacht owned by actor and Democratic donor George Clooney. The governor, an Army veteran, has also come under fire for lying about his military record on a White House fellowship application. He claimed to have received a Bronze Star that was not actually awarded to him until months after he submitted the application.
During his three years in office, Moore has risen to prominence in Democratic circles. He delivered a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention and traveled to early primary states as a surrogate for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, according to the Washington Post.
Those high-profile appearances fueled speculation that Moore was preparing a presidential run. “The obvious attack line is that ‘He’s going to leave us,'” Towson University political science professor Joseph Dietrich told the Post. “To some voters, it sort of sounds like he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth.”
The governor also made the news recently for pushing back against President Donald Trump’s effort to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore, even as the city has long struggled with violent crime. Last year, Maryland’s violent crime rate was 17.1 percent above the U.S. average, while its property crime rate was 16.4 percent higher, according to data compiled by USAFacts.
