NEW YORK CITY— Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) insists he’s focused on getting reelected this year and working to make Maryland, but that isn’t stopping some activists within the Democratic Party from urging him to run for president in 2028.
The hype was on full display at Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention in New York on Thursday. During a fireside chat, Sharpton cheekily asked Moore about running for president in 2028. Before the governor could fully answer, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers, with some even standing up to urge the governor to run.
“Say yes!” attendees yelled as Moore attempted to respond to Sharpton’s questions.
The national action network convention crowd goes wild when Al Sharpton asks him about 2028. pic.twitter.com/In49UBAZn5
— Mabinty Quarshie
(@MabintyQ) April 9, 2026
“I now have, because I keep a clock on my desk, I got 278 days left in my first term,” Moore said on Thursday. “And by the way, I’m going back to the people of Maryland in November, because I’m gonna bring this thing back.”
The Maryland governor implored his fellow Democrats contemplating a 2028 run to focus on the 2026 midterm elections and put in the work to help Democrats win back power.
“I need to see that you’re taking 2026 seriously,” Moore said. “I don’t want to hear woulda, coulda, shoulda. I don’t want to hear, well, what I would have done is, not while our people are hurting like this.”
After 2026, however, several NAN attendees hope Moore will run for president, citing his work in Maryland and charismatic personality.
“He would be one of the good ones I would vote for,” said Cheryl Eliano, 68, who attended the conference from Texas. “I think that he’d be excellent for the job. I think he’s doing a good job in Maryland, and I definitely think he has the heart for America, and that’s what we need.”
Tee Johnson, 42, from Charlotte, North Carolina, said she wanted Moore to run, “because we need more representatives like him. That’s strong. That’s powerful. Have that voice. He’s courageous. I love that.”
The National Action Network convention is an annual gathering that draws thousands of civil rights leaders, media figures, and politicians to highlight the issues impacting Black and Brown communities. Given the importance of Black voters to the Democratic coalition, Sharpton’s confab often serves as an early testing ground for potential presidential candidates.
Moore, however, is adamant that he’s not running for president in 2028.
“I’m very clear, and I’m locked in. I’m not just trying to win in November, but I’m telling you in Maryland, we gonna send a message,” he said. “I tell people, you know, I’m hungry, but I’m not thirsty.”
During his fireside chat with Sharpton, Moore also slammed the Trump administration over the Iran war.
“The biggest challenge for me, though, is the lack of conversation that’s happening with the American people,” Moore said of President Donald Trump’s leadership. “We are now watching how our gas prices continue to skyrocket. Energy prices continue to skyrocket. Groceries are more expensive, and we are doing this foreign war that none of us asked for, but it’s being done in our name.”
Moore’s willingness to publicly rebuke Trump resonated with NAN attendees who want “change” when selecting the next U.S. president.
“I think it would be great for him to run,” said Constance Daglis, 46, from New Rochelle, New York. “We need a lot of change again. It’s gonna be a lot to undo after this administration is gone.”
“I think he would be a strong candidate,” Daglis continued about Moore. “Realistically, we’re gonna end up having another black president in our lifetime.”
But some attendees said Moore’s work in Maryland should continue, and he shouldn’t seek the White House.
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“I don’t want him to run because he’s doing such a great job where he is,” said Jerome Williams,71, a minister at Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. “Maryland is a tough place, and he’s … changed it.”
“But if everything falls in place, like he said, then yes,” Williams said about a future Moore run. “Because he will be satisfied that he has done everything that he can, and it can continue, and then he can move to a higher place.”