Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Friday that the rise of democratic socialist candidates reflects an appetite within the Democratic Party for fighters. He said voters are looking for someone who will fight for them, not someone defined by an ideology.
Moore tied that view to hardship he said voters are facing now, citing over 180,000 people on the brink of losing healthcare, children losing food assistance, and federal job cuts under the Trump administration. He said that attention will go to disruptors willing to change the status quo rather than to candidates focused on labels.
Moore on voter priorities
In an interview with Judy Kurtz and Hillary Howard, Moore said, "I actually don’t think people are looking for someone who can fight against the president." He said, "I think people are looking for someone who will fight for them, who is going to advocate for the fact that we have people who are working twice as hard for no real resources."
He added, "I don’t think that this is about an ideology. I don’t think this is even about a political party," and said the question voters are asking is, "Who is going to fight for me?" In the same conversation, he said, "I think those are the ones, those disruptors, those people who are willing to disrupt the status quo … those folks are going to be the ones who I think are going to capture people’s attention."
DSA wins in House primaries
Moore’s comments came as several candidates with membership in the Democratic Socialists of America have recently won House primaries in New York and Colorado. Many of those candidates have ousted incumbent House Democrats, giving his remarks a direct connection to races that have already changed the field.
A reader tracking the practical effect of those wins should watch the next round of House primaries and whether Democratic candidates keep centering affordability, which Moore said is where voters are already focused. Moore’s 2026 Democratic nomination win also puts him in the same political conversation about party direction that he was addressing on Friday.
Moore and 2028 talk
Moore also pushed back on presidential talk that has reached him in 2026. He said, "I think the only people that are interesting for ’28 are ones who are taking ’26 seriously. We’re under assault right now," and added, "This is not fair and this is not right. So truthfully, I think anyone who is talking about 2028 in 2026, for me, is disqualifiable in 2028."
Stephen A. Smith said on Wednesday on that democratic socialism could "ultimately spell doom for the Democratic Party" in November, and he argued that defeating Trump or any successor would require the party to unite "under one umbrella." Moore’s answer went the other way: he argued the issue is not the label, but whether a candidate can persuade voters that the candidate will fight for them.
