Maryland Gov. Wes Moore endorses Kamala Harris, tamps down vice president speculation

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president of the United States Monday. He also indicated his intent to remain as governor and countered speculation about joining the ticket as vice president.

“The American people deserve a champion who will continue the progress of the Biden-Harris Administration, and that’s why I am proud to voice my full support and offer my full endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Nominee for President,” said Moore, in a statement Monday morning, less than one day after President Joe Biden wrote a letter to the American people indicating he would not be seeking a second term in office.

More: Maryland leaders react as President Joe Biden announces he won't seek re-election

Moore followed that statement with remarks at a scheduled appearance at a jobs summit in Washington, D.C.

“I’m excited to be the leader that Maryland’s going to have going forward,” said Moore, during a talk Monday afternoon at the Jobs for the Future 2024 Horizons Summit in Washington, D.C.

Moore on VP speculation: 'I want to stay as the governor of Maryland.'

Amid an uncertain moment for the country as Harris seeks the Democratic nomination and considers a vice presidential pick, Moore harked back to when he was asked to run for mayor of Baltimore about a decade ago and also when he was asked to run for his mentor’s congressional seat, the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, after Cummings’ death in 2019.

“I said, ‘That’s not what I want to do, it’s not the direction I want to go in,’” Moore told a packed hotel ballroom at the D.C. summit on July 22. “When I decided to run for governor, there was no one who could have told me ‘no’ because I’d done the work.”

“I don’t think these seats are things that people can be recruited or drafted for,” he said, “I think you need to know in your heart.”

During a press conference with about a dozen local reporters in a hotel restaurant after his remarks, Moore again reiterated his intent to remain as governor of Maryland.

“I want to stay as the governor of Maryland. I love the momentum that we’re seeing right now in the state of Maryland,” he said.

Moore said he spoke with President Biden and Vice President Harris yesterday. He told reporters on Monday he has “no interest” in the position of vice president.

“I have no interest and I’ve expressed that,” he said, “I love my job.”

“My decision to stay in Maryland is because I still have work to do,” Moore said.

More: Why at least five of the last six US presidents have come to one Western Maryland airport

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore endorses Harris, states intent to remain gov.