Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) said he doesn’t answer to the “bosses” of the Democratic Party ahead of the National Governors Association’s annual conference this week in Washington, D.C.
Moore, often mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential contender, is the vice chairman of the NGA and the nation’s only black governor currently in office.
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“I don’t answer to the Democratic Party,” Moore said at the Politico Governors Summit. “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.”
The conference made headlines after President Donald Trump disinvited Moore and Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) from a Friday dinner with state leaders from both parties.
When discussing his successful 2022 campaign, Moore said he didn’t come from the “political world.”
“I don’t come from a political background. I don’t come from the world of punditry,” he said. “When I first came on board, I was very clear that there is no political party that made me.”
“In fact, the Democratic Party put millions of dollars to try and stop me from winning,” he added.
Moore, who announced his reelection campaign last September, has a 61% approval rating, according to Morning Consult.
Despite many people naming him as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, Moore has frequently said he is not running, saying on Thursday that he is “not even thinking” about 2028 and is focused on 2026.
In recent weeks, Moore has been frequent in the news over his handling of the sewage spill into the Potomac River and his redistricting efforts in Maryland.
Maryland Democrats have opposed Moore on multiple occasions, including overriding at least 18 of the governor’s vetoes in December 2025.
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State Senate President Bill Ferguson is also actively blocking Moore’s redistricting efforts, arguing the bill doesn’t have enough support within the legislature.
“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.