Wes Moore, Tim Walz urge for a fiercer Democratic party at famed Jim Clyburn Fish Fry

Democratic governors Tim Walz and Wes Moore are fired up – but not solely to eat South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn’s so-called “world famous” breaded fish.

They’re fired up to refocus their party, and on Friday evening, both pitched their theory of how to build up coalitions and win back the Americans they’ve lost: emphasize the political gravity of the moment forcefully and frequently, and don’t wait until the midterms to talk to as many constituencies as possible.

“Each and every one of us, we’re not going to have someone come save us. But who wants that? We can save ourselves. We can get out there. We can make a difference,” said Minnesota Gov. Walz during brief remarks on stage to a few hundred Democrats in Columbia, South Carolina. “We need to change the attitude, compete in every district, compete for every school board seat, and come out to this damn fish fry with the attitude: ‘we’re going to fill up on some fish, and then we are going to beat the hell out of these dictators.'”

Moore, the first Black governor of Maryland, in his remarks stressed that the “baton is in our hands.”

“We are not going to drop it. We are going to run through the tape, and we are going to win because we understand what’s at stake,” said Moore

He continued the refrain, as a rallying cry of sorts: “Send a message the entire country is going to hear. This is our time. This is our moment. We will not shirk, we will not flinch, we will not blink. We will win, just as those who came before us did.”

Yet, neither of them said that they should be the leader of the party in 2028. Both governors have denied any plans of seeking the presidential nomination, which the pair reiterated during a gaggle with reporters before their on-stage remarks Friday. During that gaggle, Clyburn said he saw both Walz and Moore as “great leaders” but said they have to decide their own plans.

Walz has said he has no plans for a White House run and is still mulling whether he will run for gubernatorial reelection. When pressed at an appearance at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, Walz said he wasn’t sure if the party’s eventual candidate is clear just yet.

“I think it’s a super talented bench,” Walz said. “Do I think the person’s out there? No, I’m not sure they’re out there yet.”

Moore has rejected the notion more fiercely, telling ABC’s “The View” plainly, “I am not running.”

He doubled down in the reporter gaggle Friday, “Anyone who is talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously,” Moore told reporters. “The fight is 2025. Right now.”

Moore also gave a keynote address at the state’s key fundraiser, the Blue Palmetto Dinner, just before his Fish Fry appearance, where, according to a circulated copy ahead of his remarks, he said the party must be delivering “an alternative” to Trump at this moment.

“I want to be clear: We can – and we must – condemn Donald Trump’s reckless actions. But we would also be foolish not to learn from his impatience. Now is the time for us to be impatient too. Let’s not just talk about an alternative. Let’s not just study an alternative. Let’s deliver an alternative,” Moore’s prepared remarks said.

Even still, it’s no secret that Clyburn’s fish fry has often been fertile waters for would-be Democratic rising stars and Pennsylvania Ave. hopefuls to mix and mingle among powerful party operatives, donors, and key South Carolina early state voters in one night. And while not as much of a crazed scene as the 2019 event, where a menagerie of Dem candidates vied for stage-time as the partiers shimmied shoulder to shoulder, Friday night’s event was still high-energy.

Walz will be speaking to Palmetto State Democrats once again Saturday morning. But that doesn’t end the Minnesota governor’s campaign travel. After his address on Saturday, he’s quickly off to California to speak at its Democratic Party’s event.

The famous fish fete tees off a weekend of fundraising and party business as the South Carolina Democratic Party convenes for their state convention. Friday night’s event also comes as South Carolina’s future placement within the party’s early voting calendar is in flux.

Last cycle, due to changes made by the Democratic National Committee, South Carolina replaced historically first Iowa as the initial contest. However, Democrats must set a new calendar for 2028.

Which order the state comes in is less important to Clyburn, he said.

“I never ask for anything more than to keep us in the pre-primary window,” said Clyburn. “Whether that be one, two, three, or four, I don’t care.”