Three states in sixteen days while Maryland’s problems continue to pile up.
Wes Moore says he is not running for president. His travel schedule says otherwise.
On July 14, Moore traveled to Atlanta and East Point, Georgia, to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. He spoke at a campaign rally, participated in a canvass launch, and appeared at the opening of a Democratic field office.
This was not a Maryland economic development mission. Moore was not recruiting businesses, creating Maryland jobs, or bringing investment back to the state. He was campaigning for Democrats in Georgia.
Just one day earlier, Moore was in South Carolina for an explicitly partisan tour organized by the South Carolina Democratic Party. They did not even try to hide its purpose. They called it “On the Road with Wes Moore.”
Moore traveled through Charleston and Sumter counties to campaign with Democratic legislative candidates and help the party “flip the future.”
Two weeks before that, Moore was in Detroit campaigning for Michigan gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. He joined a campaign roundtable about small businesses and affordability, declaring himself “all in” for Benson.
Apparently, Moore has time to solve affordability in Michigan. Marylanders are still waiting.
Three states. Sixteen days. Zero Maryland priorities.
Even when a campaign or political organization pays a governor’s airfare, Maryland taxpayers can still be left paying for the State Police protection that accompanies him.
Maryland governors receive State Police protection wherever they travel, including on political trips. During former Gov. Martin O’Malley’s national political travel, the Democratic Governors Association sometimes covered his direct transportation costs while Maryland taxpayers paid for the troopers accompanying him. Those expenses included overtime, hotels, meals, rental cars, gasoline, airline tickets, and train tickets.
The exact taxpayer cost of Moore’s 2026 political travel has not been publicly disclosed.
Marylanders deserve to know how many state employees accompanied him, how much was spent on security, transportation, lodging, and meals, and whether any official state resources were used to support these partisan campaign trips.
While Moore builds relationships with Democratic activists across the country, Maryland faces projected future budget deficits. His administration has also parted ways with the original Key Bridge construction contractor after failing to reach an agreement over the cost of the project’s next phase.
But instead of remaining focused on Maryland, Moore is talking about affordability in Detroit, campaigning with Democrats in South Carolina, and opening campaign offices in Georgia.
This is not the schedule of a governor who is “laser-focused” on Maryland. It is the itinerary of a politician building a national campaign.
Wes Moore can continue denying that he is preparing to run for president. Marylanders can see exactly where his priorities are, and they are increasingly anywhere but Maryland.
