The field for 2028 Democratic presidential nomination just got a bit less crowded.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Sunday said he is “not running for president” in ’28 — knocking out one of the top contenders to lead the Democratic ticket, three years before the election.
Moore, while appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, was asked by host Kristen Welker if he plans on serving a full term if he wins reelection as governor next year. He told Welker he does plan on serving the full four-year term — leading her to clarify that means he is removing himself from the ’28 field.
“Do you rule out a run for president, governor?” Welker asked him.
“Yeah, I’m not running for president,” Moore responded.
She responded: “You rule it out?”
Moore then told her “Yes, I’m not running for president.”
At that point, Welker asked him to triple clarify his intentions, asking if he “completely” ruled it out. Here is what Moore said:
“I’m so excited about what we’re doing. That we’ve gone from 43rd in the country in unemployment to now one of the lowest unemployment rates. We’ve had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America. Our population is growing. Maryland is moving, and so I’m really excited about going back in front of the people of my state and asking for another term.”
His answer comes after he was one of the betting favorites to lead the Dems in 2028. Last month, Kalshi betting market put Moore at 6% odds to be the party’s nominee — which came in fourth behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) at 20%, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) at 15%, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D) at 10%. The president site Polymarket also had Moore as a top five contender.
Moore bowing out of the ’28 race also comes after he was in the news recently when President Donald Trump said Moore called him “the greatest president of my lifetime”; video footage showed that was a bogus story and that Moore had blown off sitting with the president at a football game.
You can watch Welker interview Moore in the clip above, via NBC.
