ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Wes Moore announced Tuesday morning he plans to run for reelection in 2026.
It comes amid speculation that Moore might run for president in 2028. He recently told Kristen Welker on NBC's Meet the Press that he was focused on governing Maryland and not eyeing a run for the Oval Office.
Moore was sworn into office in January 2023, becoming Maryland's first Black governor. His lieutenant governor is Aruna Miller, who became the first Asian American lieutenant governor in Maryland and the first immigrant to hold a statewide office.
Moore released a video announcing his decision to run again, highlighting his administration's accomplishments including overseeing the response to the collapse of the Key Bridge in 2024.
Others have also announced their candidacy to run for governor in 2026. They include Democrats Ralphe Jaffe and Donald Ray Palmore and Republicans Carl A. Brunner Jr., John A. Myrick, Kevin Rhodes Sr. and Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale.
Primary day in Maryland is June 23, 2026. Election Day is November 3, 2026.
Statement from the Maryland Democratic Party Chair Steuart Pittman:
Maryland voters made the right choice in 2022 when they elected Wes Moore and Aruna Miller to lead our state–a team that has worked day and night to repair the damage done by Larry Hogan.
This is an administration that has tackled the tough challenges head on: they turned the state’s longstanding structural budget deficit into a surplus while protecting middle-class families; reversed the Hogan-era crime surge in Baltimore and statewide through increased collaboration with local leaders and investments in both law enforcement and prevention; brought Maryland education rankings up from declines caused by Larry Hogan by collaborating with school systems across the state to invest wisely rather than attacking education reform efforts; and jumpstarted Maryland’s economy by demonstrating to businesses that Maryland is investing in its workforce, its infrastructure, and its targeted industries.
In the coming years, Maryland will have to make hard choices about how to protect its people, its environment, and its economy from President Trump and far-right Republicans on our livelihoods, and Marylanders know that Governor Moore has the toughness and the compassion to meet the moment.
But, Marylanders want more, and they deserve more. More of the poverty-fighting, more of the service year option for young people, more improvement in our schools, more housing for our essential workers, more protections for our environment, more fiscal discipline, and more of the teamwork that engages all Marylanders from every corner of our state in building an economy that leaves no one behind.
The Maryland Democratic Party is prepared to spread the word in every Maryland county about why the Moore-Miller Team is the right one for this moment. Let’s get to work.
