Reply to Governor Wes Moore’s 2024 State of the State Speech- Part 1
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Governor Wes Moore gave his second State of the State Address on Wednesday February 7th. He focused on four key areas: public safety, affordability, competitiveness, and service. Running through each was an emphasis on the need for partnerships with state and local governments and with communities.
State Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey gave the Republican response and he focused on four key areas as well: Public safety, budget deficit and taxes, education and Maryland’s Economy.
I am running for Governor in 2026 as a Green Party candidate. I am going to lay out my initial response to Governor Moore’s State of the State Address, and Senator Hershey’s reply. This is the beginning of a multiyear, ongoing engagement with Governor Moore’s policy and plan specifically, but more broadly the political programs of both Democrats and Republicans in Maryland.
We do not believe both parties are the same, rather we believe they both offer solutions that fail to meet the needs of Marylanders. I hope to offer a detailed analysis of the policy that each has on offer,in order to give a vision of Maryland with multiple healthy political parties representing more political perspectives. We will lay out a political vision and plan for Maryland, different from what either of the two dominant parties has to offer. We offer a Green Politics rooted in Peace, Justice, Democracy, and Ecology.
It’s Time To Raise Taxes On the Wealthy and Close Corporate Tax Loopholes
There was exactly one mention of taxes in the entire speech, Moore stated, “we can make … investments in child care and housing without raising taxes on Marylanders.” Promising not to raise taxes might be good politics for Moore and his Democratic Party, but it is bad policy for Marylanders, especially poor and working class Marylanders.
In Hershey’s Republican response he says “While it’s a relief that Governor Moore's initial $63.1 billion FY25 Budget proposal does not include tax increases, long-term spending is still outpacing revenues, and this budget does not identify a solution to this ongoing dilemma.”
Moore’s unwillingness to increase state revenue by making sure everyone is paying their fair share of taxes undermines his plan for Maryland and vision of a state where no one is left behind. Our state is facing billions of dollars in deficits in the coming years, and if we don’t increase revenue, the likely consequence will be to cut the services that help the poor and the working class. Vital services like transit and community colleges are on the chopping block in this year's budget, and if we don’t raise revenue soon, then many more programs may be as well.
The wins on child poverty, climate change, and closing the racial wealth gap that Moore celebrated in his speech are all good for Maryland, but if we can’t pay for them in the long term, they too will fall victim to Moore’s revenue-side austerity budgeting. We must do better.
The Governor wove his speech together with a focus on partnership with legislators, labor, and community organizations, but on this issue he is siding with the GOP instead of choosing to work with the nearly forty legislators in the House of Delegates and State Senate, and the nearly forty unions, advocacy, and community organizations supporting the Maryland Fair Share Act. This Act would increase taxes on the income and capital gains of millionaires and billionaires, raising Maryland revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Credit: Fair Share Maryland
https://fairsharemaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/Fair-Share-for-MD_Overview_012324.pdf
Hershey’s response mentions this bill directly, “In an attempt to make up for undisciplined spending, Democrat legislators are now proposing an omnibus tax increase proposal that would raise taxes on job-creating corporations, raise the state’s so called death tax and increase the capital gains taxes. Even if these tax hikes were passed, this $1.6 billion annual projection does not incorporate how much revenue would be lost from individuals, businesses and jobs leaving the state as a result of them.”
If Governor Moore and the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, do not support this common sense tax policy, and instead side with the GOP, it will be another strong example of why Maryland doesn’t use its Democratic dominated government to do big things.
If I were Governor today, I would partner with these legislators, unions, and organizations on the Maryland Fair Share Act. Together, we would have the difficult conversation with the rest of the legislature, our business community, and with Marylanders that would end up paying a bit more.
This week we released an agenda for a Solidarity Economy in Maryland.The first solution it offers is to change our tax policy, starting with solutions like the Maryland Fair Share act, and then moving on from there. Maryland needs a tax system in which wealthy people, big corporations, and holders of billion dollar endowments pay their fair share for the benefits they appreciate by living or operating in Maryland. This must be coupled with a lessening of the tax burden on small business and working class taxpayers. When we do provide tax credits and tax breaks, they should not be for wealthy individuals and corporations - Instead they should be designed to put more money in the hands of working class people, families, and communities.
The Green Party has long advocated for tax fairness and tax justice and our campaign is committed to making this the foundation of a more fair, more just economy so we all can thrive.
It is Time To Align Maryland with International Law on Israel and Palestine
Governor Moore did not mention Israel and Palestine at all during his State of the State Address. In fact–since October 13th, when he pledged Maryland’s unequivocal support to Israel–he has been entirely silent on the topic. Since then, Israel has used the unequivocal support and materiel given by many American politicians to kill nearly 30,000 Palestinian people in Gaza, mostly children, destroy hundreds of thousands of homes, displace over a million people, and to destroy the social fabric of hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and universities. These actions have led the State of Israel–with the unequivocal support of the Moore Administration–to face charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice.
UN Overview of the Ongoing Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza, February 8th 2024
Credit: United Nations Office for The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Source: https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-124
Israel has also increased the level of violence, terror, and land theft in the West Bank, restricted the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and threatened to escalate a larger war by attacking neighboring countries around the region. The state-sanctioned settler violence in the West Bank is so bad that President Biden has applied sanctions against certain illegal Israeli settlers and the organizations that support them
It is reasonable to think that as Governor of Maryland Wes Moore has no role to play regarding Israel and Palestine, but when he was campaigning in 2022 he was eager to weigh in on the question. When asked if he would end Republican Governor Larry Hogan’s unconstitutional executive order prohibiting state contracts with those associated with the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, Moore doubled down and sided with Hogan, reaffirming Maryland’s commitment to Israel, and his commitment to quash non-violent resistance. Interestingly enough, if a state contractor were to boycott the same illegal settlements and supporting organizations Biden is sanctioning, they would not be able to contract with the state of Maryland under the Moore Administration.
Beyond that, Moore continues to support the Maryland/Israeli Development Center, a public/private partnership that facilitates business connections between Maryland and Israel. Maryland’s military industrial sector is providing direct and material aid to the Israeli military forces as they carry out their indiscriminate campaign of terror against the Palestinians.
Israel and Palestine are yet another key area where Governor Moore is choosing to partner with Republicans.
The Green Party platform has long been aligned with peace, justice, and democracy for all people in Palestine and Israel, and has stood in solidarity with the non-violent Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, since 2005.
In November our campaign put out a statement on Israel and Palestine, vowing that on Day 1 of our administration we will end the unconstitutional prohibition on boycotts and take action to align Maryland with international law and the movements for peace, justice, and democracy in Palestine and Israel.
That was true in November, that is true today, and that will be true when we take office in 2027.
Next Post-Public Safety
The next post in this series will talk about our campaign’s response to Governor Moore’s number one priority for the State of Maryland, crime.
If you want a preview of our perspective on public safety, check out the interview I did last night, with Dayvon Love, Director of Public Policy at Leaders of Beautiful Struggle.
Over the remainder of the legislative session I am going to lay out several responses to Governor Moore’s State of the State Address. This is the beginning of a multiyear, ongoing engagement with Governor Moore’s policy and plan. I am going to spread the responses out over the week because they are not meant to be the same kind of polarized political opposition response we are used to seeing to a big speech like the State of the Union or the State of the State. Instead I hope to look at the policy solutions both parties offer, and provide a Green alternative, rooted in peace, justice, democracy, and ecology.