Wes Moore cruises to re-election as talk of a 2028 presidential run grows

The 48-year-old Democrat defeated Republican Dan Cox as his national profile continues to rise amid speculation about his political future.

Wes Moore has won re-election as Maryland governor in Tuesday’s midterm election, solidly fending off a challenge from Republican Dan Cox.

Since entering office as Maryland’s first Black governor in 2023, Moore has remained relatively popular. His national profile has soared as he has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump over attempts to withhold federal funding for political reasons, threats to deploy the National Guard in Baltimore, and the president’s decision to disinvite Moore from a White House dinner with America’s governors.

Moore previously defeated Cox by 32 percentage points in the 2022 gubernatorial election. In the 2026 midterm, the 48-year-old Democrat focused on highlighting his achievements across the state, including turning a state budget deficit into a surplus, a historic drop in crime, raising the minimum wage, adding more than 55,000 new businesses to the state, and targeting racial equity actions such as issuing pardons for over 175,000 people convicted of misdemeanor cannabis violations.

The Maryland governor has especially targeted racial disparities across the state, working to close the racial wealth gap through economic and housing policies.

Moore has also sought to be a national leader on voting rights, calling on his state legislature to vote on redistricting its congressional maps in response to states led by Republicans eliminating largely Black and brown districts to boost Republican success at the urging of President Trump. Moore eventually got his way when the legislature passed a bill placing a redistricting constitutional amendment on the ballot for November’s election. However, it was quickly blocked by a circuit court judge.

Governor Moore previously told theGrio that his leadership has shown that “being imaginative and bold don’t have to be mutually exclusive ideas.”

“I’m really proud of what we’ve done, and also how we’ve done it,” said Moore. “I think the people of my state know that I am laser-focused on November, and because we’re not just trying to win in November, we’re trying to send a message about how we win in November as well.”

Moore has also remained a rumored contender for the U.S. presidency in the 2028 election. The Maryland governor has repeatedly said he is not running for the White House; however, his travels across the country to campaign for Democrats up and down the ballot have only fueled speculation.

After being called to run for president while delivering the commencement speech at Johnson C. Smith University earlier this year, Moore was asked about his continued interest in seeking the presidency. When asked about that moment, Moore instead brought the attention back to his state, telling theGrio, “It’s very humbling that people are paying attention to what’s happening in Maryland. I’m proud of our results.”