Wes Moore on democratic socialist gains: Voters want ‘someone who is going to fight for them’

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Friday argued the recent rise in democratic socialist candidates stems from an appetite within the Democratic Party for fighters, but not necessarily for direct challengers to President Trump.

“I actually don’t think people are looking for someone who can fight against the president,” the Democratic official told The Hill’s Judy Kurtz and Hillary Howard in an interview. “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.”

Several candidates with membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have recently won House primaries, including many who have ousted incumbent House Democrats, in states like New York and Colorado.

Some political commentators have raised concerns about these candidates, with Stephen A. Smith telling CNN on Wednesday that democratic socialism “could ultimately spell doom for the Democratic Party” in November.

“You can beat Trump. You can beat any of his successors. But in order to do so, you‘re going to have to come together as a party under one umbrella,” Smith said.

Moore downplayed concerns about a rise in DSA-affiliated candidates in his interview with The Hill, citing a united focus among Democratic candidates to address voters’ affordability concerns.

“I don’t think that this is about an ideology. I don’t think this is even about a political party,” he said. “I think this is just simply saying, ‘Who is going to fight for me?’ And 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.”

When asked by Kurtz about potential Democratic contenders for the next presidential race, Moore emphasized his focus on securing wins for the party in the midterm elections. The governor himself has been floated as a potential contender for 2028.

“I think the only people that are interesting for ’28 are ones who are taking ’26 seriously. We’re under assault right now,” Moore said, citing federal job cuts under the Trump administration.

“We’ve had over 180,000 on the brink of losing their health care. We’ve had children now losing food assistance, and we’ve done that so that billionaires can get tax cuts,” he continued. “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.”

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Judy Kurtz

Stephen A. Smith

Wes Moore

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