Maryland has always been a state where leadership matters—where the choices made in Annapolis ripple across family budgets, classrooms, and local communities. Two decades apart, Governors Bob Ehrlich and Wes Moore faced daunting fiscal challenges in their first terms. Both inherited deficits. Both promised to steer Maryland forward. But the outcomes, as graded by the Concerned Taxpayers Association, could not be more different.
Ehrlich’s report card shines with A’s and A+’s. Moore’s? A muddled landscape of C’s and D’s. Let’s unpack the contrast.
Fiscal Management: Ehrlich’s A vs. Moore’s C-
When Bob Ehrlich took office in 2003, he was staring down a $4 billion deficit. By the time he left, he had closed that gap and left Maryland with a $2.3 billion surplus. He cut nearly $1 billion in overspending and resisted the easy path of raising broad-based taxes. The verdict: fiscal discipline paired with long-term solvency.
Fast forward to Wes Moore. He also faced a deficit—this time about $3 billion. His solution was less surgical: a combination of $2 billion in cuts paired with a menu of new taxes. The budget technically balanced, but at the cost of Maryland’s competitiveness. Businesses looked to Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania for more stable ground. The grades say it all: Ehrlich earned an A, Moore stumbles in with a C-.
Economic Growth: Ehrlich’s A+ vs. Moore’s C
Governors don’t single-handedly create jobs, but their policies set the tone. Ehrlich’s tenure saw unemployment dip from 4.5% to 3.9% and nearly 100,000 new private-sector jobs added. His administration cultivated a pro-business climate, even if some criticized reliance on casino revenue as a stopgap.
Moore’s Maryland, by contrast, lags behind its neighbors. Job creation sputters, and the tax-heavy environment discourages investment. Worse still, Marylanders are leaving—the dreaded “out-migration” that drains both tax revenue and talent. That’s the difference between an A+ and a C: job growth versus job flight.
Taxes and Fees: Ehrlich’s A vs. Moore’s D+
Here’s where the philosophical divide between the two men becomes glaring. Ehrlich held the line on taxes, opposing hikes in sales and income taxes. Instead, he proposed slots as a revenue source—hardly beloved by purists, but a pragmatic solution that didn’t penalize working families. The only notable fee was the Bay Restoration Fund surcharge, the so-called “flush tax,” narrowly targeted at environmental cleanup.
Wes Moore, on the other hand, has written a tax-and-fee symphony worthy of Albany or Sacramento. New high-income brackets at 6.25% and 6.5%. A 3% digital services tax. A capital gains surcharge. Cannabis tax hikes. Doubling of sports betting taxes. In total, $1.6 billion in new burdens. And what does the average Maryland family get in return? A refund worth the cost of a tank of gas—about $50–65. It’s no surprise the grades diverge: A for Ehrlich, D+ for Moore.
Education: Ehrlich’s A vs. Moore’s C
Ehrlich boosted education funding by 10% in 2004, showing commitment to K–12 and special needs programs. His critics wanted more college tuition relief, but overall, he left education stronger than he found it.
Moore continued the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a massive spending plan, but results are flat. Test scores remain stagnant, absenteeism is high, and parents are frustrated. The unions are pleased, but satisfaction ends there. Hence the grades: A versus C.
Public Safety: Ehrlich’s A vs. Moore’s C-
Ehrlich believed in accountability and pushed for stricter sentencing. Though Democrats in the legislature often blocked him, crime fell modestly during his tenure. Marylanders felt the state was moving in the right direction.
Moore’s record so far is defined by rhetoric about equity while Baltimore’s homicide rate remains stubbornly high. Residents don’t want buzzwords; they want safer streets. On this measure, Ehrlich earns an A, Moore a C-.
Innovation & Governance: Ehrlich’s A+ vs. Moore’s D-
Ehrlich pioneered the Department of Disabilities—the first in the nation—and worked to find bipartisan solutions, even in a legislature stacked against him. He earned an A+ for creativity and results.
Moore launched an efficiency initiative projected to save $50 million annually and passed bills on climate and social justice. Admirable, yes, but many see him as more focused on national ambitions than Maryland’s bread-and-butter problems. That imbalance keeps him in the B- range.
Final Verdict
The Concerned Taxpayers Association isn’t mincing words. Bob Ehrlich’s first term was a model of fiscal turnaround, job growth, and innovative governance. His final grade hovers in the A to A+ range.
Wes Moore, meanwhile, is skating by with a C average—a grade that reflects deficits “solved” through tax hikes, stagnant job growth, and underwhelming outcomes in education and public safety.
In plain terms: Bob Ehrlich governed like a fiscal surgeon, cutting waste while growing opportunity. Wes Moore governs like a tax collector, patching holes with Marylanders’ wallets while hoping buzzwords distract from outcomes.
Maryland families and businesses know which report card they’d rather bring home.
Alex Luther is a contributor for Direct Line News and can be reached at Alex.Luther@mcgopclub.com
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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