Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, has hit out at his own party and said he doesn’t “answer to party bosses” while speaking at Politico’s 2026 Governors Summit on Thursday.
The governor is widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, even though he has repeatedly denied wanting to run, Politico reports.
“I don’t come from a political world. I don’t come from a political background, I don’t come from the world of punditry. You know, when I first came on board, I was very clear that there is no political party that made me,” Moore said at the event.
“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. I answer to the only people who made me the Governor of Maryland, which is the people of Maryland,” he added.
At the event, Moore once again dismissed the idea of a White House bid. Instead, Moore said he’s focused on this year and “not even thinking” about 2028. Earlier this week, Moore also told CBS News that he’s “not running for president.”
The Democratic governor, who is up for reelection this year, has faced some legislative challenges in recent months.
State Democratic lawmakers overrode more than a dozen of Moore’s vetoes in December, Politico reports. He’s also faced pushback from over his efforts to redistrict the state.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, defended Moore at Politico’s event.
“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.”
Moore has also faced criticism from President Donald Trump, who blamed him for the recent Potomac River sewage spill. The incident marks one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, according to the University of Maryland.
“There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.
Moore’s spokesperson, Ammar Moussa, was quick to hit back with a statement placing the blame on the Trump administration.
“The president has his facts wrong—again. Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak. For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people’s health at risk,” Moussa told The Hill.
