Moore faces a budget gap, Trump threats and tense relationships in reelection year

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has plenty on his to-do list for the General Assembly session that starts Wednesday: increase funding for schools, tweak existing programs to boost the state’s flagging economy, send more aid to local police departments.

But the Democrat’s aspirations are about to run head-on into a series of obstacles: a $1.4 billion state budget deficit, a tense relationship with the Senate president, a new House speaker, ongoing assaults from the Trump administration, pressure from national Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional districts, state lawmakers willing to buck his ideas in favor of their own.

As Moore takes on those challenges, many view his every move through the lens that he may be angling for a long-term political future beyond Maryland.

And Moore needs to win reelection, too.

It all adds up to plenty of pressure amid competing interests for the state’s 63rd governor in 2026.

“There has not been an easy time since I’ve been the governor. But we were never promised easy,” Moore said during an interview Monday in his State House office.

Moore said his focus, broadly, will be on making the state more affordable and competitive, and protecting Marylanders “from what we’re seeing from the folks in Washington.”

“I know there’ll be a lot of things we’re having to navigate and figure out, but I’ve never been intimidated by challenges before,” Moore said.

Moore’s top advisers say the governor is prepared for the challenge. Since last year’s General Assembly session, which ended with some policy defeats, the governor brought in a new budget secretary and a new chief of staff, both veterans of Maryland politics.

Lester Davis, who started as chief of staff in the fall, said the team has done more outreach to lawmakers in recent months, keeping them apprised of the governor’s priorities and preparing them for a tough budget season.

“A lot of conversations, a lot of feedback, a lot of outreach,” Davis said. “There shouldn’t be broad surprises. That does not mean that people won’t have feelings. These are real budgets and real numbers.”

Moore says he won’t balance the budget with new or increased taxes or revenues; rather, he’s looking at the spending side of the ledger.

“We as a state have got to learn to do more with less,” he said.

Jeremy Baker, entering his second session as Moore’s chief lobbyist, expects Democratic lawmakers will support the governor’s “targeted” agenda.

“You expect in an election year, we’re all going to put on that blue jersey, and we’re all going to make the best decisions for the citizens of Maryland and work together,” Baker said. “Because nobody wants to walk out of session in April in an election year with things feeling undone.”

Lawmakers who help the governor could get an election-year boost. Moore’s campaign team set up a “Leave No One Behind” slate that will fund and promote allies this campaign season. Moore hasn’t yet announced any members of his slate, and some lawmakers might see the legislative session as a chance to audition for Moore’s approval.

On the other hand, Democratic lawmakers have shown they’re willing to choose their priorities over Moore’s. During a special session in December, the General Assembly’s Democratic majority easily overturned dozens of Moore’s vetoes on measures that included a study of reparations for slavery and state-sanctioned discrimination, as well as examining the state’s emerging data center industry and the cost of climate change.

The governor said he respects the independence of the legislature — though he acknowledges he must work with them to get his policy bills passed and his budget approved.

“They are not my boss, nor am I theirs,” he said.

Moore, in his push to redraw the state’s congressional district boundaries to make them more Democrat-friendly, has run into opposition from Senate President Bill Ferguson. Ferguson opposes redistricting, saying it’s politically risky and ethically problematic. He asserts that the majority of senators back his position.

Ferguson’s opposition could be enough to tank Moore’s redistricting push, even as national Democrats seek to coordinate states in countering Republican states redistricting in their favor.

Ferguson said occasional differences among top leaders are “natural in any democracy.”

“I think 95% of the issues we largely agree on, or at least the outcomes we agree on,” Ferguson said. “Where the disagreements are is the process.”

Moore also must contend with a new speaker in the House of Delegates, with Joseline Peña-Melnyk ascending to the top job after Adrienne A. Jones stepped back from leadership in December.

Peña-Melnyk, who previously chaired a House health committee, said she has a “great relationship” with Moore and expects to meet with him regularly — not his staff, she was careful to point out.

Moore said he has “deep respect” for both Ferguson and Peña-Melnyk.

Republican lawmakers carry little sway in Annapolis, holding less than one-third of seats in the legislature. But they’re watching and ready to pounce on the governor’s missteps.

Del. Jason Buckel, the House Republican leader, said Moore has “a tremendous opportunity” to improve the lives of Marylanders — if the governor stays focused, and not distracted by national Democratic politics and a potential future beyond Maryland.

“I hope because it’s an election year it doesn’t just become one partisan attack or one partisan position after another,” Buckel said. “Quite frankly, that’s not doing anything for the state of Maryland.”

For now, Moore enjoys support from a slim majority of Marylanders.

A new poll published Tuesday by Gonzales Research & Media Services pegs the governor’s job approval rating at 52%, with 41% expressing disapproval. A Baltimore Banner poll in the fall found the governor with 54% approval, and a UMBC poll showed the governor at 52%.

In a reelection scenario in the Gonzales poll, Moore would come out on top with 50% support, compared to 28% for a generic Republican candidate and 6% for a generic third-party candidate. About 16% of those polled were undecided. Those most likely to support a Republican also said taxes are too high, Gonzales noted.

Ed Hale Sr., the front-runner for the GOP nomination for governor, sees opportunity in the poll. Hale previously hired Gonzales to poll for him.

“I would not want to be Wes Moore,” said Hale, a retired banker who switched parties to run. Hale believes his chances have gone from “no way, José” last summer to “plausible” now.

Sen. Steve Hershey, the Senate Republican leader who is also mulling a run for governor, thinks the governor’s approval ratings are “flat” because Marylanders aren’t impressed. He cited audits that have flagged problems in state agencies, ranging from foster care to highway construction.

“They’re just sign after sign of mismanagement of this government,” Hershey said. “People want to see — if you’re going to raise taxes, if it’s costing me more money because of the price of government, well then you better damn well do a better job of managing it. And that’s not what they are seeing with this governor.”

Moore says he’s not concerned about partisan politics.

“I respect the independence that I have from political parties and political ideologies,” he said. “You know, political parties never made me. I was never the choice of the Democrats when I first decided I was going to run for governor, and so party bosses have never moved me before.

“It’s not going to start now.”