Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced on Tuesday that he will seek a second term, using a video message to tout reductions in violent crime, steps to close a budget shortfall and pledges on education and child poverty while sharply criticizing President Donald Trump.
In the announcement, Moore accused the president of favoring wealthy interests and said federal policies were raising costs for everyday Americans. "The president of the United States is bending over backwards for billionaires and big corporations, firing federal workers, gutting Medicaid, raising prices on everything from electricity to groceries," Moore said in the video. "I'm a person of action and we are moving forward fast across the state and across party lines to prove to a dysfunctional Washington that there is a better way forward."
Moore framed his reelection bid as a choice between his record as governor and what he described as Washington dysfunction. He highlighted public-safety gains in Baltimore, saying homicides have fallen sharply since he took office. Police figures cited by his administration show homicides declined about 40% since 2020, with 68 homicides reported in Baltimore as of July 1, a 22% decrease year over year, and a 19% drop in nonfatal shootings. Despite those declines, Baltimore had the sixth-highest murder rate per capita in 2024, at 34.8 deaths per 100,000 residents.
The announcement comes amid a public dispute with Trump over whether the federal government has the authority to send agents or federalize troops to address crime in Baltimore. Trump has suggested Washington could intervene, saying the federal government has the right "because I have an obligation to protect this country," and has referred to Baltimore as a "hell hole." Moore has rejected the idea of federalizing state forces, noting he is commander in chief of the Maryland National Guard and saying the president "has no right to federalize my troops." He also invoked his military service, saying, "When you’re coming after our people, people know that I’m a soldier, and I will fight for and protect our people, and that is all I’m doing. This is not about trying to fight Donald Trump. This is about me fighting for Marylanders."
The governor also faced criticism over photographs published last week showing him vacationing in Italy at a villa owned by actor George Clooney. Republican state delegate Mark Fisher, speaking to the Daily Mail, called Moore's time away a sign that he had "effectively turned his back on the citizens," and said residents still felt unsafe walking in parts of the city. "You know it's bad when you have a city that has a per capita crime rate that is equal to Kabul, Afghanistan," Fisher said. Fisher further told the tabloid that some across the political aisle privately question Moore's account of progress on public safety.
Moore has acknowledged more work remains to reduce violence in Baltimore but has rebuffed calls to request National Guard intervention from the federal government. He challenged Trump to walk the streets of Baltimore with him; Trump responded by indicating he might send in federal troops.
Speculation about a possible presidential run in 2028 surfaced as Moore's national profile has grown. On NBC's Meet the Press over the weekend, Moore said he was focused on Maryland and dismissed talk of a presidential bid, saying he was "really excited about going back in front of the people of my state and asking for another term."
Moore's reelection campaign will unfold in a reliably Democratic state where the governor’s record on education, budget management and crime reduction will be central themes. Republicans have seized on images of his vacation and on concerns about Baltimore's crime rate to challenge his stewardship, while supporters point to the reported declines in homicides and to steps the administration says it has taken to stabilize the state budget as evidence of progress.
The filing formally launches what is expected to be a high-profile gubernatorial campaign in 2026 in a state that Democrats have carried in recent presidential elections. As the campaign begins, Baltimore's crime statistics, the dispute over federal intervention and the governor's policy agenda are likely to shape the debate in Maryland politics over the coming months.