SALISBURY, Md. — With four days until Election Day, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and Republican challenger Dan Cox spent Friday speaking to voters in different parts of Maryland. They gave WBOC differing answers on the state’s budget deficit, a redistricting ballot question and high fuel prices.
The race is a rematch. Moore first defeated Cox four years ago. Moore campaigned on the Eastern Shore on Friday, including at First Baptist Church in Salisbury, where he rallied support for his campaign and for Democrats further down the ticket. Cox campaigned in Baltimore, including at Lexington Market.
Budget deficit
One of Cox’s main criticisms at the candidates’ October debate was Moore’s handling of the state’s estimated $3 billion deficit.
“The government's audit shows $6.1 billion of misspent or fraudulent or wasted spending,” Cox said. “This is a fact that we can then reel that back in. And that's more than twice the amount of the budget deficit…So I believe that that's step one. Step two obviously, after we make the savings, we save people the money. We ensure that the budget is balanced. We ensure that we do not raise taxes. In fact, I want to end the taxes and fees, cut them down, from where they are.”
When asked how he would address the deficit, including whether he would raise taxes or cut spending, Moore said the answer is a combination of addressing spending and the economy.
"We've got to both control our spending inside of the state of Maryland, but also increase economic growth,” Moore said. “If you do those two things simultaneously, you're then going to be able to address the issue of a structural deficit, which I think that, you know, Maryland has not tackled in a generation."
Moore also said he inherited the deficit from his predecessor and that Maryland has passed balanced budgets for four straight years, including a middle-class tax cut.
Question 3
The candidates also split on Question 3, a ballot measure that would pave the way for Maryland Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map.
Moore said he supports it and urged Marylanders to “be for Question 3.”
“It's not about a seat and it's not about Andy Harris, because I think Dan Schwartz can take Andy Harris,” Moore said. It’s about our democracy, but it's about the fact that Donald Trump and Washington, DC is trying to break the rules. And I want to make sure that Maryland is going by the same set of rules as other states.”
Cox said he is firmly against it, and argued it would hurt Eastern Shore voters in particular.
“It literally is taking away the voices of the Eastern Shore,” Cox said. “It's literally causing everyone to then question the future because it's being cemented in if this were to pass into the Constitution…We are going to make sure that we maintain our constitutional, bipartisan boundaries that are community based, contiguous.”
Cox said that if the measure passes, he would support a bipartisan district writing commission.
Fuel prices
On gas and diesel prices, Moore first discussed the war in Iran.
“We need to have a Congress that will stop this war,” Moore said. “And that is the fastest and the best thing we can do to help bring gas prices down. Because if people notice, the gas prices started spiking when we started dropping bombs.”
He then said some steps can ease the pain, and pointed to ones he has taken.
“Recently I signed an executive order around diesel prices to be able to help bring diesel prices down for the people of Maryland,” Moore said. “We signed a utility relief act to be able to put hundreds of dollars back in the pockets of Maryland families who are watching these energy prices continue to skyrocket.”
Cox has called on Governor Moore to suspend the gas tax. He said suspending the gas tax would bring prices down by nearly 50 cents a gallon at the pump.
“I have been calling for this since I entered the race, asking the governor to immediately suspend the gas tax…,” Cox said. “...We need to continue to work to make sure that that lowers, but we cannot continue to raise it instead…It’s a common sense procedure that can be temporarily providing some relief. So that’s step one. Step two is to make sure that we lower our taxes so that can help our small businesses.”
Polling
There has been little polling in the race for Maryland governor. That's because the few polls that have been conducted do not show a close race.
A University of Maryland, Baltimore County poll released earlier this month showed Democratic Gov. Wes Moore leading Republican challenger Dan Cox by 27 points, 51% to 24%. About 14% of likely voters were undecided.
Moore defeated Cox by more than 30 points in 2022.
Marylanders will choose their governor Tuesday.
