Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday defended his recent clashes with state Democrats, denying that he’s in a weak political position with his own legislature that has held up several of his policies and a push to redraw the state’s Congressional maps.
“There is no political party that made me. In fact, the Democratic Party put millions of dollars to try to stop me from winning. I don’t answer to the Democratic Party. I don’t answer to party bosses,” Moore, a Democrat, said during POLITICO’s 2026 Governors Summit. “I only answer to the people who made me governor of Maryland, which is the people of Maryland.”
Moore pointed out that he defeated the preferred candidate of many Democratic party bosses when he first ran for governor as a political newcomer in 2022.
Maryland Democrats overrode at least 16 of the governor’s vetoes in December and the state’s Senate president, Bill Ferguson, is actively blocking Moore’s redistricting effort, saying the bill doesn’t have enough votes to pass on the floor. Moore continues to say Maryland residents are in favor of redistricting in the state, though a poll from December found just 27 percent of residents supported the issue.
“If Bill Ferguson says, well, the votes aren't there in the Senate, my only point is this: OK, well, you know, the best way to prove that's true? Do a vote,” Moore said.
Moore — widely considered a 2028 contender though he has repeatedly denied he wants to run — has attempted to position himself as a counterweight to President Donald Trump. But the resistance he’s facing in his own backyard has some national Democrats wondering whether he can successfully mount a White House run.
On Thursday, Moore again dismissed the idea of running for president, saying he was focused on 2026 and “not even thinking” about 2028.
Oklahoma’s GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt, the current chair of the National Governors Association, defended Moore at the event, saying he had more respect for the Democrat knowing he stood up to lawmakers within his own party.
“I have more respect for him now, knowing that he vetoed the bills,” Stitt said. “ I have a super majority Republican, and I vetoed 67 bills last year, and I think they overrode probably 45 of them. So it happens to all of us.”
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