BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he was uninvited from the 2026 National Governors Association (NGA) dinner at the White House, calling the decision a slight that undermines bipartisan cooperation between state and federal leaders.
Moore, who currently serves as vice chair of the bipartisan NGA, addressed the issue during a CNN appearance over the weekend. He described the move as “blatant disrespect” and said it runs counter to the spirit of collaboration the organization is meant to promote.
It’s not lost to me that I’m the only Black governor in this country,” Moore said during the CNN interview. “And I find that to be particularly painful, considering the fact that the president is trying to exclude me from an organization that not only my peers have asked me to help lead, but also a place where I know I belong.
Republican Congressman Andy Harris, who represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, dismissed Moore’s concerns during an appearance on FOX45 News, arguing the governor’s own actions led to the exclusion.
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Governor Moore spends 23 out of 24 hours every day criticizing the president,” Harris said. “If somebody criticizes you a lot, you don’t invite them to your house.
Harris rejected Moore’s suggestion that race played a role in the decision, noting that another governor — Colorado’s Jared Polis — was also not invited.
“To pull the racism card is just incredible,” Harris said. “This has nothing to do with racism. It has to do with the governor spending overtime criticizing the president on national media.”
When asked whether the decision could damage bipartisan relations, Harris said he did not believe it would.
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“You don’t create a bipartisan environment by criticizing the president every single day,” he said. “What goes around comes around.”
The interview also touched on Maryland’s mid-cycle redistricting efforts, which could significantly alter Harris’s congressional district. Moore has said he is working with judges to prepare for potential legal challenges to the new maps.
Harris questioned those remarks, noting the governor later clarified that he was referring to retired judges, not sitting members of the judiciary.
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“We’ll find out,” Harris said, adding that a Freedom of Information Act request could shed light on whether Moore has communicated with active judges. He also warned that if the new map is rejected by the courts, it could backfire on Democrats.
“If the court rejects the new map, they could reject the current map and give Republicans a second seat in Maryland,” Harris said.
Gov. Moore released a full statement on the situation:
This week, I learned that I was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner — a decades-long annual, tradition meant to bring governors from both parties together to build bonds and celebrate a shared service to our citizens with the President of the United States. My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership. As the nation’s only Black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight — whether that was the intent or not. What makes it especially confounding is that just weeks ago I was at the White House with a bipartisan group of governors, working with the administration on reforms to lower energy costs and strengthen grid reliability. We proved in that moment what’s possible when we stay focused on outcomes over politics. As Governor of Maryland and Vice Chair of the NGA, my approach will never change: I’m ready to work with the administration anywhere we can deliver results. Yet, I promised the people of my state I will work with anybody but will bow down to nobody. And I guess the President doesn’t like that.
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