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Gov. Wes Moore talks Democratic Party struggles on Fox News Sunday as Maryland works on $3.3B deficit

Candy Woodall, Baltimore Sun on

Published in News & Features

As his Democratic Party struggles to win back working-class Americans, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore talked on "Fox News Sunday" about voters’ frustrations — including a viral moment involving his constituent at a town hall.

A woman recently shouted during one of Rep. Glenn Ivey’s town halls in Prince George’s County, with emotion and anger filling her voice, as she called on Democrats to do more to help people feeling the impacts of Trump administration cuts.

“I think people are angry, and they’re scared, and, frankly, they’re justified,” Moore said. That same frustration drove people to the polls in November, when they were looking for a solution and disruption, but now “they’ve gotten destruction,” he added.

While Moore was in the Fox News studio answering questions about divisions in his party, he faced criticism back home in Maryland.

What’s happening in Maryland

Moore, fighting through one of the biggest tests of his political career, is under increased scrutiny in Maryland as the state struggles with a $3.3 billion budget deficit.

Republicans criticize him for raising his national profile as Marylanders face tax hikes and reduced services.

“Gov. Moore is campaigning for president — not running MD. He ignores tax rates & electric bills because he doesn’t plan to stay,” Del. Mark Fisher, a Calvert County Republican, said on the social media platform X.

The governor, however, recently touted a budget deal with state lawmakers that he said will turn a deficit into a surplus and in which 94% of Marylanders will not see a tax increase. To balance the budget, as required by law, Moore said he’s making the largest spending cut in 16 years.

Most controversy in the state centers on whether Moore is really holding economic growth as his North Star if he’s eliminating the corporate tax cut he initially proposed in January. There’s also an IT tax — a 3% sales tax on information technology and data services paid by anyone who uses those services, including consumers. Republicans say it will drive businesses out of Maryland.

If Moore is trying to grow Maryland’s economy, Fisher asked him, “Why are you raising taxes on businesses?”

Moore said Thursday that businesses will not decide against moving into Maryland solely based on tax code. Their decisions will be based on an ecosystem of transportation, procurement reform, job numbers, sciences and more.

 

Democrats struggle across the country

Although Moore leads a state that neighbors the nation’s capital and is disproportionately impacted by Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce — as President Donald Trump says he’s eliminating fraud, waste and abuse — Democrats are struggling across the country. They’re facing angry constituents as the party tries to find its way as the minority party without a top leader.

Moore, who has been floated as a potential presidential candidate, said, “I think the answer is not about our rhetoric, not about what’s the pitch that we’re making or our argument. You’ve got to deliver results.

“You’ve got to make it easier for people right now. You’ve got to be able to put more money in their pockets. You have to make things more affordable. If we can do that, then I think you’re actually answering the calls and the cry that people have right now,” he added.

The impact in Maryland is acute, as the state is home to more than 160,000 federal workers. That number doesn’t include military and federal contractors.

Despite the impact from the Trump administration, Democrats are logging historically low levels in polling, and the president is posting record highs.

Moore said Trump has been a vehicle for voters’ frustrations, but “he’s not really a vehicle for the solution.”

Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone Republican in Congress, sees it differently. Since Trump took office, inflation, gas prices, egg prices and illegal border crossings are all down, he said.

While most Maryland grocery store shoppers see their egg prices soaring, wholesale egg prices are starting to come down. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes it might take some time to see lower prices hit the shelves.

“President Trump is getting our country & economy back on track,” Harris said in a statement.

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©2025 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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