*Stephen A. Smith suggested he would select Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., as his running mate if he ran for president, though he described a 2028 bid as “highly unlikely.”
As Forbes reports, Smith previosuly stated he felt he had “no choice” but to consider a run for the Oval Office. At the 2025 ForbesBLK Summit, he reflected on the possibility of running, saying, “I believe I can win the presidency if I really put my heart to it, I truly do.” He emphasized his reluctance stems from a lack of desire to be a politician and the financial success he currently enjoys, noting that a campaign would be unnecessary “especially with the money I’m making.”
Smith also cited political challenges as a reason for hesitancy. He said dealing with “chaos on Capitol Hill,” campaigning, and returning favors to other politicians were factors in his decision. “I would love to debate them for them to justify the things that they have done to this country on both sides of the aisle, because I think they played us all as suckers and it really ticks me off,” Smith added. “In that regard, I leave the door open because I want that palpable fear that I may be on that stage in 2027 debating them.”
When asked about potential running mates, Smith said, “I really, really like Wes Moore,” explaining that the Maryland governor “cares about people, and he cares about what’s in our best interest, but he’s also a realist.”
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Smith has made clear he is not pursuing the presidency. On “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” he said, “Even though there’s a lot of qualified Democrats all over the country from a local perspective—governors, mayors, stuff like that—there’s no real national voice. They’ve come to me … and so, I mean, I did not ask for this. I don’t want this. I happen to have a very, very, very good life, very good job. I’m good, very good.”
Expressing frustration with political leadership in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Smith said, “I hope somebody from the Democratic Party steps up. I hope I light a fire under them and get a more qualified individual in this mix, so people can stop asking me this stuff and I can enjoy my life.” He added, “But if it continues to get worse, all hands on deck, all of us should consider running, for crying out loud, rather than dealing with this nonsense.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Stephen A. Smith Hopes to Inspire Democratic Leadership Amid Presidential Rumors
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