Pundits are already drafting strategies for who might become the Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2028 and how each candidate could navigate evolving media dynamics.
Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat from Maryland, has emerged as a potential Obama-style figure in the race—similar to previous campaigns that featured candidates projecting themselves as new presidents, including Gary Hart and John Edwards.
Maxwell Tani, an alum of the left-leaning Daily Beast, recently highlighted concerns about Moore in a Semafor article titled “The Sinclair Sun vs. Wes Moore.” The piece warns that conservative media outlets are investigating Governor Moore’s records and keeping their owners informed.
Democrats have expressed worry that nonliberal news organizations are scrutinizing Democratic candidates—particularly when politicians fabricate details about their life stories. This concern echoes Barack Obama, who made up significant portions of his memoir “Dreams From My Father.”
Tani noted that The Baltimore Sun has undergone a shift from its traditional style to a more ideological approach. He suggested the paper has become “a new, more ideological local media hybrid” after previously being an old-school, by-the-book regional newspaper.
In 2019, The Baltimore Sun criticized President Donald Trump as “vermin” for claiming no one wanted to live in Baltimore. In 2021, its reporter David Zurawik suggested Fox News should be removed from the White House press corps.
Moore’s team has publicly and privately complained that the investigation into his biography is “needlessly hostile and politically motivated.” They accuse ultra-wealthy right-wing media owners of using their platforms to influence outcomes while hiding behind the credibility of legacy news institutions—describing it as “right wing propaganda wearing the masthead of a formerly trusted news brand.”
In August 2024, The New York Times reported that Moore claimed to have received a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan but had not actually earned the award. This story arose at a critical time as Moore was considered Kamala Harris’s potential running mate.
Moore later arranged for Lieutenant General Michael Fenzel, a friend and mentor, to process the Bronze Star paperwork again, securing the medal for his upcoming campaign.
While Moore has been interviewed on major networks like CBS, CNN, and NPR, he faces persistent questioning from outlets like The Baltimore Sun about his biography—a contrast that Semafor describes as typical of “old-school, by-the-book” mainstream media.
