Voters choosing Maryland’s next governor may be ready for relief from the higher costs of gas, groceries, credit cards and other aspects of everyday life.
Less certain though is whether frustration over economic issues will be seen as enough of a state issue to drive them to the polls in that race or influence the choice between Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox and Wes Moore, the Democratic nominee.
Like voters elsewhere in the U.S., Maryland residents have felt the pinch of inflation, which jumped to 8.3% in August, easing slightly as gas prices decreased but still near a 40-year high. And they’re seeing borrowing costs on home and auto loans rise as the Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates in a bid to control inflation.
“Voters are obviously very concerned about these kitchen table issues. These things are front and center, but state and local government can’t do much about them,” said Daraius Irani, chief economist for the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University. “The question is if candidates for governor … will be able to provide solutions that may be able to mitigate some of the impact. It’s really unclear whether either candidate can move the needle one way or another.”
Stuart Emmons, 63, a postal mail handler from Catonsville, and Jim Doherty, 55, an engineer from Columbia, both say they’re concerned about inflation and the economy. Both also say it’s not a top issue for them in choosing the state’s next governor, because of the limited role the state can play.
But agreement over the gubernatorial race stops there.
Doherty plans to vote for Moore, calling Cox’s ideals “dangerous.”
Emmons, who described himself as conservative, said he’ll probably vote for Cox and would have considered supporting Kelly Schulz, a Republican candidate and former state secretary of commerce who lost to Cox in the primary.
“I lean towards pulling a lever just because the person has an ‘R’ next to their name,” Emmons said. “Overall, it’s just the opposite in this state. The state’s so one-sided, and I don’t think that’s good when a state is that one-sided.”
In a heavily Democratic state, “Over the years they could have spent a lot less money, more wisely and more efficiently,” he said.
Doherty, a registered Democrat, said that when it comes to state and local races, inflation and the economy rank fifth or sixth in importance.
“Inflation is bad, there’s no getting around that, but from a policy perspective, there’s very little that the state itself can do without probably causing other problems, some type of collateral damage,” Doherty said.
He will vote for Moore, he said, because of more pressing issues that could affect Maryland, such as democracy, abortion and women’s health care and the Second Amendment, which, he says, is being misinterpreted by extreme groups as giving citizens the right to overthrow the government.
“There’s a full-court press on just trying to restrict people’s rights, trying to limit who can vote, who can’t vote,” especially in some parts of the country, he said. “I think [Cox’s] ideals are very dangerous in that trying to restrict people’s access, the fact that he’s very Trumpian in his speech. I could absolutely see him trying to put restrictions on voting, put restrictions on women’s health care.”
What the candidates are saying
Moore, in a recent interview with The Baltimore Sun, said the economy continues to be top of mind for many voters in the state.
“The biggest things that we’re hearing from people are the economy and making sure that people feel a measure of economic security,” Moore told The Sun in early September. “I think that’s real for people.
“And I think that goes in everything from making sure we’re addressing the staffing shortages that are taking place at state agencies to making sure we’re increasing wages for workers, because we still have too many people that are working, in some cases, multiple jobs, and still living below the poverty line,” he said.
Cox, during a forum Tuesday night at Morgan State University, called the economy his “No. 1 concern.”
“Right now, students and young people and families of all backgrounds are being priced out of housing,” Cox said. “Affordable housing is having a crisis; our groceries are inflated; our gasoline is inflated.”
In a statewide poll taken in the spring, economic concerns such as inflation and the cost of living emerged as a key topic for the next governor to address. The poll, conducted May 27 to June 2 by Baltimore Sun Media/University of Baltimore, showed economic issues as the top priority of about a quarter of Republicans and a fifth of Democrats.
Many respondents said they had changed their behavior in some way because of inflation. More recently gas prices have declined, averaging $3.45 in Maryland as of Wednesday, down from $3.81 a month ago, according to AAA.
Moore said he expects to address economic issues through his “Work, wages and wealth” platform. It includes job retraining and “re-skilling” to get people back into the workforce and revamping the education system to prepare students to be employers as well as employees. Moore also would propose during next year’s legislative session to immediately raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and peg it to inflation.
“We have to make sure that even as people are getting paid for the work that they’re doing, that pay can move them to a measure of economic security,” he said.
Moore also said he would work to increase homeownership levels by addressing unfair appraisals.
Cox, who says he wants to “restore freedom to the Free State,” says on his campaign website that he will work to reduce regulations and taxes and make the state a more attractive place to retire. He said he would submit a legislative tax package offering tax relief “for every Marylander.”
During Tuesday’s forum, he also said he would work to ensure that minority communities have access to bridge loans and capital grants to bring wealth into those communities.
What the voters would like to see
Mike Wyant, a 62-year-old Silver Spring resident who is semiretired and does home improvement consulting, said he remains undecided but wants the next governor to stand up for the best interests of state residents, rather than following a national party agenda. Most importantly, he’d like to see Maryland put back on track after the COVID-19 lockdown and attract business without the use of costly incentives.
“I’m not crazy about how the state handled the lockdown,” Wyant said. “I thought it went a little overboard compared to some other states and nationally I think we went overboard.
“I would like to see whoever is in office try to focus on lifting restrictions or easing restrictions, whatever they can do to help businesses get back on their feet and try to build up the job force in the state,” said Wyant, who said he is registered as a Democrat because the Republican Party in Montgomery County offers few options in primaries.
Beverly Era, owner of Speddens Marine & Fishermen’s Supply in Cambridge, sees Cox as the clear choice for self-employed and independent businesses.
Most of the watermen who her 52-year-old family business serves did not get government pandemic assistance during the health crisis and yet have faced increased restrictions over the past few years on when they can work and what they can catch, she said.
“At one point, for several years, they could not tong for oysters on Wednesdays,” she said.
And heavy rockfish fishing restrictions have led to fewer crabs and pushed up prices for consumers, as increasing numbers of rockfish feed on both crab bait and crabs, she said.
“We don’t need more restrictions,” said Era, a Republican who had switched her party affiliation from Democrat. “Most of these watermen and a few waterwomen have been generation after generation. These guys don’t ask for a handout. They just ask to work. But their season keeps getting shortened. The regulations keep getting increased, the licensing fees keep getting increased.”
She said politicians may pay little attention to watermen on the Eastern Shore, but “these guys supply to the restaurants, which employ dishwashers, busboys, cooks.”
While some businesses, such as Speddens, support Cox, organized labor is squarely behind Moore. The Democrat says unions are good for the economy and the labor market and has won the endorsement of the AFL-CIO, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Ironworkers Local 5, Service Employees International Union Local 500 and others.
Workers need someone on their side like Moore, who understands that workers with a voice on the job help the economy prosper, said Donna S. Edwards, president of Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO. Edwards said she hopes organized labor can work with the new administration to ensure that money allocated to Maryland from federal infrastructure, health and climate bills goes to companies that create well-paying jobs.
“What I’m looking for is to actually decrease in Maryland this wage gap that we have,” she said. “Having a good job and being able to have [that] one job be enough, as well as being able to retire and have health care and benefits and a fair schedule, all of that matters.”
Derrick Davis, a 36-year-old tech salesperson from Owings Mills, said he hasn’t yet focused closely on the election but plans to carefully consider candidates’ positions.
“People are watching what the political parties are about, with inflation being so high, with everything just being out of whack, we want to see change,” Davis said. “Republican, Democrat, it doesn’t matter at this point. It matters who says what and who will actually produce what they say.”
Baltimore Sun reporters Sam Janesch and Hannah Gaskill contributed to this article.
This is the final article in a series about issues of importance to Maryland voters and facing the next governor.
