BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Just days after telling a national audience he did not plan to run for president in 2028, Wes Moore announced he’s officially seeking a second term as Governor of the State of Maryland.

In a news release with an accompanying video, Moore pointed to Washington and “reckless policies” coming from President Donald Trump as a reason why Marylanders are shelling out more for their everyday lives.

“We are showing Marylanders from across the state and party lines that there’s a better way forward to make our economy stronger and everyday life more affordable,” Moore said via news release.

He and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller are asking Marylanders for another term to “continue the progress we’ve seen” in the state.

In the video, Moore said he “inherited a structural deficit” and turned it into a surplus. The state budget will likely be one of the most hotly debated topics throughout the campaign as several Republican hopefuls point to the more than $1 billion in tax and fee increases Gov. Moore and Democrats in the General Assembly approved this last session.

Moore’s reelection launch video also highlights the catastrophic collapse of the Key Bridge and notes that the shipping channel was reopened sooner than expected.

Funding for the rebuild effort of the bridge has come into question recently after President Trump floated the idea of clawing back the 100% cost-share agreement that Congress approved in December 2024. The president’s comments came amid a weeks-long back-and-forth with Moore about the use of the National Guard to curb crime in Baltimore.

Moore’s launch comes as his profile grows among national Democrats, and many have viewed him as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. However, he maintains he’s not running for the White House in 2028.

Despite his claims, Moore has visited several early-presidential states in 2025 and was seen vacationing on George Clooney’s Italian yacht while on a vacation with his wife in Lake Como; Clooney is a Democrat mega-donor who previously told CNN he believed Moore could be a candidate the national party lines up behind in the future.

So far, several Republican candidates have challenged Moore in his re-election effort, including Baltimore businessman Ed Hale, who switched parties to run, Del. Christopher Bouchat, and farmer Kurt Wedekind. Most recently, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey launched a committee to explore the possibility of running for governor.

This story will be updated.

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