Who’s going to lead the Democratic Party after defeat? Why Wes Moore’s name is coming up

BALTIMORE — In certain political and national media circles, the idea that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore would one day run for president seemed rampant even before he won elected office.

The Democrat has batted away the thought whenever asked, both before and after he quickly went from political newcomer to the governor's office two years ago.

But it's picked up steam anyway — when Democrats were lobbying President Joe Biden to step aside this summer and, with Vice President Kamala Harris' loss last week, possibly again as one election season spills into the next.

"The Democratic Party wants to make him a star," said Matt Foster, an American University professor of political science. "There was already chatter of him running for president before he even made a name for himself."

President-elect Donald Trump's victory against Harris — where the Republican improved among all types of voters, including in nearly every county in reliably blue Maryland — quickly set off an avalanche of prognosticating about how the Democratic Party remakes itself, and who becomes the face to guide it forward.

Moore's name is expected to be in the mix.

An Army veteran whose resume also includes a Rhodes Scholarship and time as a large nonprofit leader, a best-selling author and an investment banker, Moore, 46, is among a cohort of prominent Democrats that have emerged as the next generation of the party's leaders and potential 2028 presidential contenders.

Among that group are fellow governors who Moore has worked with and campaigned alongside this year for Harris — like Josh Shapiro, of Pennsylvania; Gretchen Whitmer, of Michigan; and Gavin Newsom, of California. Others are national figures like Pete Buttigieg, the 2020 candidate who became Biden's Transportation secretary.

It's still early, and Moore not only is merely halfway through his first term but will also be up for re-election in 2026.

He'll likely be campaigning that year both for himself in Maryland and for other Democratic congressional candidates across the country, especially if the party is aiming to regain or keep control of the narrowly divided U.S. House and Senate (Unofficial election results showed Republicans likely winning control of both chambers this year.).

"If he could be a force on the campaign trail in this midterm cycle, which may even be stronger than 2018 in terms of activity and a blue wave, if he could position himself as a national voice, then he will be in talks in 2028," Foster said.

Moore has not done any local or national interviews about the election results or about the path forward for his party. And his campaign did not return a request for comment Monday, when national news organizations like Politico had reported his name as being one of several potential future candidates. Even oddsmakers like Bookies.com gave Moore the 10th-best odds at winning the White House in 2028.

His only extended public comments so far about Harris' defeat came Friday when he struck a largely optimistic tone and spoke of finding "common ground" during an incoming Trump administration. He also referred to Trump's potential to derail progress on his goals, which he did not name but include major priorities like the Red Line light rail line in Baltimore.

"I personally worked very hard, a lot of hours, to make sure that Kamala Harris was the next president of the United States," Moore said at the State House. "So I know this is the result that the majority of Marylanders did not hope for."

Moore's time on the campaign trail for Harris — and Biden before her — included thousands of miles traveled and an undisclosed amount fundraised from donors in places like southern California and New York City. He made 18 total trips out-of-state, including multiple stops to swing states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

He also appeared frequently on national television and was a coveted guest at different gatherings during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where he also delivered a primetime speech on a night that Nielsen estimated had 20 million viewers.

Moore's own campaign operation also branched out this year, raising money for a newly formed super PAC that his 2022 campaign manager, Ned Miller, helped to organize as a senior adviser. Unity First raised at least $708,000 and spent nearly $600,000 on ad campaigns against Republican U.S. Senate nominee Larry Hogan, who ultimately lost to Democrat Angela Alsborooks, and Republican Neil Parrott, who lost to Democrat April McClain Delaney in the 6th Congressional District race.

Such PACs are frequently used by politicians to help raise and spend money benefitting other members of their party. Hogan set up a similar PAC, called Better Path Forward, along with a differently organized nonprofit organization called An America United, which did not need to publicly disclose its donors and is sometimes referred to as a "dark money" organization. Hogan raised money for both toward the end of his second term as he prepared for a potential presidential run — which he opted against and later ran for U.S. Senate.

Moore does not have a similar nonprofit. But as his profile has grown, so has his fundraising. His state-level campaign finance committee had $2 million in the bank as of its last report earlier this year and will report an updated amount in January.

Until then, Moore's pitches for funds — and his vision — have continued.

"This Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans went to the polls and exercised their democratic right and elected Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States," Moore wrote to his supporters in a fundraising note Friday. "...[T]he Moore-Miller Administration's promise to leave no one behind remains steadfast, and we will continue to move forward as we always have in our state — together."