Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., said the Democratic Party gave up on certain parts of the U.S. in the 2024 election, lamenting the party’s focus on certain states.
Former DNC chair Jaime Harrison spoke to Moore on his podcast “At Our Table” and asked the Democratic governor if there was anything former Vice President Kamala Harris or the campaign should have done differently.
Moore replied, “I don’t know…. It’s always challenging if such a large percentage of the country, rightly or wrongly, feel the country is going in the wrong direction. It’s just difficult to be the vice president, to come into that. I don’t know what she could have done differently, or whatever happened.
“The thing I think we have to remember to do though, is, I’ve been deeply disappointed where it feels like there are certain areas and communities that we almost seemingly just gave up on.”
He added, “We just stopped competing. We stopped making the case. We came up with this philosophy where, listen, it all comes down to three states.”
Harrison agreed and added, “We cede ground.”
“And it’s like, do you know who hears this thing is only going to come down to three states? The other 47. Like, ‘we don’t even matter, man.’ When we hear, ‘We need to make sure we go after the working voter in Pennsylvania,’ and that’s the key, do you know who hears that? Everybody you’re not talking about. And I just think we ceded a lot of ground,” Moore said.
Moore argued that a lot of key Democratic voters felt taken for granted in 2024.
“And then we get upset, and then we’re like, what happened with this group? What happened with that group? And they’re saying like, ‘Yo, what happened to the party?’ I think there needs to be a real level setting about who is our base, man. And who are we fighting for?
“This is not a game for people. This is not game theory. This is not checkers. They’re real life. These are real lives,” Moore continued.
Moore spoke to Fox News’ Bret Baier earlier this month and said he was not considering running for president in 2028.
“And the thing is, I think that anybody who’s talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously,” he added.
Harrison recently spoke to Gov. Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024, about the Democratic Party.
As of early August 2025, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has become the first prominent Democrat to publicly announce that he will not run for president in 2028. Moore, who has been frequently mentioned as a potential candidate, made this declaration during a recent podcast appearance, stating that he is focused on his current role and not considering a presidential bid .New York Post
This announcement adds clarity to the Democratic field for the upcoming election. While several other figures, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, have been speculated as potential candidates, none have officially declared their intentions yet .news-saga.com+1Conservative Brief+1
Moore’s decision not to run may influence the dynamics of the 2028 Democratic primaries, potentially opening the field for other candidates to gain traction. His choice to focus on his gubernatorial duties suggests a commitment to his current responsibilities and a strategic decision to avoid the challenges of a national campaign.
As the primary season approaches, the Democratic Party’s field of candidates is expected to become clearer, with other potential contenders likely to make their intentions known in the coming months.
