Moore's Union Fractures Cast Shadow Over Prospective 2028 Presidential Bid

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, positioning himself as a national Democratic figure ahead of a potential 2028 White House run, faces deepening friction with organized labor in his home state — a coalition central to any Democratic primary. The Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO has withheld an endorsement of Moore's reelection campaign, reversing its 2022 general-election backing, while airport workers have launched a public campaign against the governor over wages.

AFL-CIO Endorsement Withheld, Workers Launch Campaign

Donna Edwards, president of the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO, told Axios that Moore's team did not return an endorsement questionnaire — a prerequisite for the organization to consider backing any candidate. Sources told Axios the problem runs deeper: no one at the group's spring meeting spoke in favor of endorsing Moore. Moore's office disputes the framing, with a spokesperson for senior director of labor relations Dyana Forester saying the AFL-CIO's own leadership advised against submitting the questionnaire because an endorsement was unlikely.

Separately, food service workers at Baltimore/Washington International Airport launched a "Poor Because of Moore" campaign, arguing the governor has not done enough to help them secure higher wages with their employers. Tracy Lingo, a vice president of the state AFL-CIO and president of Maryland's Unite Here Local 7, which represents those airport employees, described Moore as "pretty antagonistic" and questioned whether his administration is distracted by presidential ambitions.

Unresolved Disputes Across Multiple Unions

The AFL-CIO friction is not the only pressure point. The Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO building trades have flagged a lack of clarity on whether the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge will proceed under a project labor agreement, a standard union preference for large public projects. AFSCME Maryland Council 3, which represents state public service workers, failed to reach a salary agreement with the Moore administration by a December deadline, with members rejecting the state's wage offer as too low.

Moore won his first elected office four years ago and has acknowledged growing pains. The tensions partly trace to the 2022 Democratic primary, when most state unions backed Tom Perez — the former U.S. labor secretary under President Obama — over Moore.

Where Moore Retains Labor Support

Not all of Maryland's labor movement is at odds with the governor. The Maryland State Education Association and the Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland have endorsed his reelection. Jeff Buddle of the Professional Fire Fighters called Moore's tenure more productive for his members than any recent governor. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 President Raymond Jackson urged patience, contrasting Moore's record with that of Republican predecessor Larry Hogan. Moore's administration also points to raising Maryland's minimum wage to $15 an hour ahead of schedule and increasing pay for state employees as concrete pro-worker achievements. Relations with SEIU Local 500, which backed Perez in 2022, have also improved.

Spokesman Ammar Moussa said the administration has worked with organized labor since day one on wages, workplace protections, and collective bargaining rights, adding that disagreements with individual stakeholders are a normal feature of governing.