COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jacque Bostick Legette had driven 65 miles from the town of Rock Hill and was not going to miss her chance to get a photo of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Cellphone in hand, she weaved through the crowd and inched her way right in front of a stage overlooking the Congaree River, where Moore was revving up hundreds of Democrats at a Southern fish fry.

“This is our time. This is our moment. We will not shirk; we will not flinch; we will not blink. We will win,” Moore said, as Bostick Legette snapped pictures.

When Moore stepped off, Bostick Legette was among those queued up in a selfie line for a quick meeting with Moore and his wife, Dawn Flythe Moore.

“He is very real and very authentic,” Bostick Legette said afterward — just as she’d hoped after seeing Moore in videos.

Bostick Legette said she wouldn’t mind if Moore ran for president one day. In fact, she’d vote for him.

“I think he is the future of the Democratic Party,” chimed in her friend, Noel Weatherby.

Moore’s been following the blueprint of past presidential hopefuls, including a swing through South Carolina, an important early-primary state for Democrats.

Friday night, Moore pulled over his shirt and tie a bright blue T-shirt with the campaign logo for U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn while attending the congressman’s annual fish fry. The free event draws South Carolina Democrats for a good time and a few words from top politicians in their party.

Earlier in the night, the governor was the keynote speaker at the state party’s Blue Palmetto Dinner, pushing a message of urgency to counter President Donald Trump’s actions.

And on Saturday Moore went to a private meet and greet in Columbia hosted by Stephen Benjamin, a former mayor of the city who was a top adviser to former President Joe Biden.

During Friday night’s public events, crowds that swelled into the hundreds gave Moore an enthusiastic reception.

When asked by a reporter about 2028, he said: “I know I’m not running.” But he’s making moves that look like someone with a political future in mind.

The road though South Carolina

The Blue Palmetto Dinner and fish fry doubleheader is one of the regular stops on the presidential hopeful tour, at least for Democrats. Clyburn’s fish fry is billed as “world famous” and a must-stop for those with their eyes on the White House.

The circuit also includes indulging in stick-mounted food at the Iowa State Fair and signing wooden eggs at a small college in New Hampshire. (Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan did the latter twice when he weighed presidential runs.)

When a politician starts hitting those early primary states, it’s a good sign they’re keeping their presidential options open. And, with no clear Democratic front-runner for 2028, hopefuls are landing audiences wherever they can.

South Carolina has proved pivotal for Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for president, said Todd Shaw, an associate professor of political science and African American studies at the University of South Carolina.

It’s the first primary where Black voters make up the majority of the electorate and is more reflective of the Democratic Party as a whole than other early states.

Biden relied so much on South Carolina and Clyburn’s endorsement to win the nomination in 2020 that he spent his last day in office in the Palmetto State in January.

Former President Barack Obama’s 2008 South Carolina primary win solidified his coalition on the way to the nomination, and even Jesse Jackson kept his hopes alive after a 1988 South Carolina win.

Shaw said any successful candidate will need to show South Carolinians that they can shake “shell-shocked” Democrats stung by Kamala Harris’ loss last year out of their malaise and build a plan to win back the White House. Their concerns mirror those of Democratic partisans nationally.

“There’s still this general sense that folk are a little bit concerned about the Democratic Party being able to have an effective electoral strategy, let alone an effective governing strategy,” Shaw said.

The Blue Palmetto Dinner, Clyburn fish fry and state party convention typically draw A-list Democrats, giving South Carolinians a chance to make up-close-and-personal assessments of newsmakers who might be presidential candidates one day.

Recent speakers at the dinner and convention are a who’s who of the Democratic Party: U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Harris when she was vice president and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who later was shortlisted as a potential running mate for Harris.

Moore appeared before the South Carolina delegation during the 2024 Democratic National Convention and wowed the room with his speech.

“I remember being really taken with it. He’s a really dynamic speaker,” said Christale Spain, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party.

Moore gave a prime-time televised speech as well, checking off another box in the presidential playbook.

South Carolina vaulted to the front of the calendar for Democratic primaries in 2024, and it’s hoping to retain that favored spot on the schedule in 2028.

“Folks want to come in and hear from national leaders and see what they’re thinking,” Spain said.

Columbia resident Sue Berkowitz sported a blue “WES” button from the governor’s 2022 campaign at the party dinner.

“South Carolina Democrats have a small window to influence other Democrats, and we take it very seriously,” she said. “But we’re also a very diverse group, and we think that we’re very representative of America, and that’s why people should be watching what we’re doing.”

Berkowitz was at the dinner with Judy Frumkin, who splits her time between Silver Spring, Maryland, and Murrells Inlet on South Carolina’s coast.

Both women were full of praise for Moore. Frumkin, an early supporter, said Moore’s lived up to the hopes she had for him in 2022, though she acknowledged he’s had challenges, including a budget gap that required tax increases and spending cuts.

“I know that there have been problems, but I don’t think that he’s caused the problems,” Frumkin said.

Not everyone was thrilled with the pick of Moore, though. South Carolina state Rep. John Richard Christopher King wrote an open letter calling for Moore to be disinvited after he vetoed a bill that would have set up a commission to study reparations in Maryland.

Moore, the nation’s only Black governor, has been put on the defensive in his own state, as well, with the influential Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland blasting the move.

Moore has said the issue needs action, not study, though he’s yet to lay out his next steps.

Some suspect Moore had his future ambitions in mind when pulling out the veto pen, because the concept of reparations is broadly unpopular nationally, particularly with white voters and Republican voters.

‘You’re not running until you are’

Other White House hopeful moves include the traditional — hitting the Sunday political talk shows and writing books — along with newer moves such as going on popular podcasts and other forms of new media.

The list of potential Democratic nominees for 2028 is long, and they’re all keeping their names and faces in public view.

Pete Buttigieg, the former secretary of transportation, charmed the bro hosts of the “Flagrant” podcast and mined his appearance for social media videos. California Gov. Gavin Newsom started his own podcast, courting conservative voices. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is reportedly wooing donors and has a podcast, too. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker notably urged for a “reckoning” of Republicans at a dinner hosted by the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

As Moore was politicking in South Carolina, so, too, was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, last year’s unsuccessful vice presidential nominee. Though they could one day be competitors, they traded compliments onstage and in front of reporters.

Clyburn, a revered party figure in South Carolina and nationally, was asked about the two governors’ futures and whether that may include 2028.

“I see them as great leaders, but they can decide when that’s going to be,” Clyburn said.

Moore generally attempts to avoid saying whether a 2028 run is in his sights.

Celebrities, including actor George Clooney and basketball great Charles Barkley, have had Moore’s name on their lips.

Last month, Moore chatted up “The Breakfast Club,” a popular syndicated morning radio show based in New York City. When co-host Charlamagne Tha God introduced Moore as “a 2028 presidential candidate and the governor of Maryland,” Moore simply chuckled and smiled.

On that same trip to New York, Moore sat down on “The View” daytime talk show, his high-wattage smile on full display. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg introduced the governor as “a rising star in the Democratic party.”

When co-host Joy Behar asked Moore about 2028, he responded: “I am not running. I am not running.”

“You’re saying that, you’re saying that for sure?” she protested.

“I’m not running,” he repeated.

Although some contenders have acknowledged they’re testing the waters, no one has officially announced or launched a campaign.

A lot can change between 2025 and when the campaigns pick up in earnest after the 2026 midterm elections, said Shaw, the University of South Carolina professor.

“The axiom in American politics is: You’re not running until you are,” Shaw said.

Winning in Maryland first

Before Moore can consider his moves in 2028, he first will focus on winning reelection as governor in 2026. He said he plans to run again. He began the year with more than $4 million in his campaign bank account.

Coming off of a challenging General Assembly session — in which he signed off on a budget that included $1.6 billion in additional taxes and fees while also making spending cuts — he’s been trying to sell a message that he turned a deficit into a surplus. Although that statement is correct, it leaves out the difficult and unpopular decisions embedded in the budget.

The budget also was among the issues that tested — and perhaps strained — Moore’s relationships with Democratic lawmakers in Annapolis.

The governor will face continued threats from Washington, where Trump has slashed jobs of federal workers in the state and the Republican-controlled Congress weighs spending cuts that could hit Maryland.

America Works USA, a union-funded group affiliated with the Democratic Governors Association, has been running pro-Moore TV and radio ads that tout his handling of the budget and the economy. The six-figure ad buy has put the spots in heavy rotation during Baltimore Orioles games.

Moore has no serious 2026 opponents so far — though retired banker and Democrat Ed Hale Sr. is considering a run.

Moore isn’t looking that far ahead, at least not publicly. Multiple times during his South Carolina political events, the governor stressed the urgency of now, the need to pass policies that counter the destructive actions of Trump.

“Anyone who’s talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously,” Moore told reporters just before taking the stage at the fish fry.

“I’m focusing on making sure that in 2025 the people of Maryland know that their governor understood the assignment and understood how to fight for them.”