Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's poll numbers drop as he pushes unpopular tax, fee hikes

Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) received more bad news from poll results this week, as his highly-unpopular plan to raise multiple taxes and fees - and introduce new ones - is tanking his approval rating across the state. 55% of registered voters approve of the governor, down from 61% in January, according to the Gonzales Poll released Wednesday. 50% of those polled said they believe the state is heading in the wrong direction. 58% labeled Maryland's economy as "fair or poor" - that has risen by 4 points since the University of Maryland Baltimore County poll in late February.

The combination of Maryland's moribund economy, Moore's tax hike plan, his proposed 75-cent tax on all Amazon and food deliveries from firms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, his EmPOWER MD fee that caused electricity rates to skyrocket this winter, and his squandering of a $5.5 billion surplus left by his predecessor, Republican Larry Hogan, is leading some to ask if Moore is up to the job of leading the state. That's quite a change from the beginning of his term, when the primary question was how long he would serve before running for the White House. 

Moore's stellar resume suggested he would lead with strength and competence in all relevant areas. The promised business acumen has yet to emerge, his handling of Maryland's finances has paled next to Hogan's tax-hike-free eight years of fiscal stability, and the state's long-moribund economy has made Moore's plans for massive new spending on social programs and education a difficult-to-impossible mission.

"No Moore" campaign posts video critiquing governor

Contributing to the public's attention to Moore's struggles was a decision by the Maryland Democratic Party to begin attacking an anonymously-led campaign called "No Moore." But in demanding the State Board of Elections unmask the group, and investigate it for unsubstantiated violations of election law, the party wound up elevating public awareness of No Moore - along with the number of its followers on social media. Moore's office distanced itself from that effort. No Moore wasted no time in leveraging its newfound support, posting a video critiquing Moore on X yesterday morning.