Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) is taking steps to build his national profile even as he seeks to tamp down speculation that he could run for the White House next cycle.

The governor, who in early chatter was discussed as a running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris on the 2024 Democratic ticket, told ABC’s “The View” last week that he’s “not running” for the White House in 2028.

But his appearance on the program and his recent swings through key states are keeping the spotlight on the rising Democratic star, who’s also staring down reelection as governor in 2026.

“He's doing very little to discourage that speculation about 2028 … His schedule was at odds with his message,” Maryland-based Democratic strategist Len Foxwell said.

“On the one hand, he was swearing off the 2028 ambition, and on the other hand, he was going on a national talk show that is regarded as a must-stop for prospective Democratic presidential candidates, and then going to visit key battleground states in the presidential primary calendar,” Foxwell said.

“I am not running,” Moore said when asked by “The View” co-host Joy Behar if he had White House ambitions in 2028.

“Wait a minute — what if we really, really, really need you?” Behar asked, to laughter from the audience.

“I’m really excited right now about the work that’s happening right now in the state of Maryland,” Moore replied, touting some of his state’s successes.

Days later, he stopped in battleground Pennsylvania to deliver a commencement address at Lincoln University, a historically Black college.

His speech stressed the importance of “real patriotism” in uncertain times as he shared the story of his grandfather, an alumnus of the school who, his office said, was run out of the United States by the Ku Klux Klan as a child.

This week, he delivered a keynote talk on democracy at the Brennan Center Awards in New York City, again touting “the true mettle of patriotism.”

And next week, he’s set to headline the South Carolina state Democratic Party’s Blue Palmetto Dinner, a fundraising event in a key early primary state that has featured

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