Maryland Gov. Wes Moore starts down path to re-election as 2028 looms in the future

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore easily won renomination for a second term Tuesday, NBC News projects, bounding over a minor obstacle ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign that some expect him to launch in the next year.

Moore dispatched a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Eric Felber, a Bethesda physician.

Democrats have long mentioned Moore, 47, as a future presidential or vice presidential candidate, even before he won his first term in 2022. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Moore first gained fame when Oprah Winfrey promoted his bestselling 2010 book, “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.”

Winfrey also drew national attention to books President Barack Obama and Vice President JD Vance wrote before they ran for office.

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore projected winner in Democratic primary

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Moore’s frequent national media appearances and a travel schedule that has taken him to South Carolina, which is typically the first state on the calendar where Black voters have a major say in a Democratic presidential primary, have fueled speculation that he might run. His name was bandied about for a possible spot on the Democratic ticket in 2024 after it became clear that President Joe Biden might drop out of the race, which he ultimately did.

But Moore was not among the finalists for the vice presidential slot when Vice President Kamala Harris took over the top of the Democratic ticket.

He has faced criticism from Republicans who see him as a rising star and a possible candidate for national office. They have focused in on his claim, on a 2006 application for a White House fellowship, that he had won a Bronze Star. At the time, he had been recommended for the decoration, but he had not won it. He was awarded the Bronze Star at the end of Biden’s term.

While Moore’s fundraising has been prodigious for Maryland — nearly $14 million raised for the current campaign — his totals pale in comparison with those of some of the other prospective hopefuls around the country. He boasts a handful of notable national party fundraisers among his donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes and Loews hotel heir Jonathan Tisch, but not the kind of full network that might be expected of a presidential candidate in waiting.

Moore has said he is focused solely on Annapolis, the Maryland capital, and not the Oval Office. In an interview last year on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Moore told moderator Kristen Welker that he would skip the 2028 race.

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“Yeah, I’m not running for president,” he said.

If Moore were to reverse course, he would not be the first candidate to rule out a presidential run and then change his mind. In a January 2006 interview on “Meet the Press,” moderator Tim Russert asked Obama whether he would make a bid in 2008.

“I will not,” Obama said.

Spoiler: Obama ran in 2008 and won the first of two terms.