Posted on 08/20/25
| News Source: FOX45
Annapolis, MD - Aug. 20, 2025 - Is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore the nation’s most disappointing governor?
That’s the provocative question raised in a new op-ed, sharply criticizing Moore’s handling of state finances, crime, and accountability.
Despite recent polling showing Moore maintains a high approval rating, local economist and registered Democrat Anirban Basu says he’s failed to deliver any of the sweeping changes that he campaigned on.
Basu noted Maryland lost its coveted AAA bond rating this year, a perfect credit score the state held for more than five decades. He also blames overspending in Moore’s first two budgets for this year’s $3-billion-dollar budget shortfall, triggering $1.6 billion in new taxes.
“Meanwhile, governors in North Carolina and Missouri -- by the way, the governor of North Carolina is a Democrat, governor of Missouri is a Republican -- are finding ways to save their taxpayers dollars, to bring more wealth and investment into their states. It's exactly what Maryland needs to do, and we're just going the wrong direction,” Basu said in an interview with FOX45.
But finances weren’t the only focus.
Basu also cites growing Juvenile crime concerns. Arrests in Baltimore city jumped 146% last year. At the same time, Maryland’s juvenile detention facilities faced allegations of drugs, staffing shortages, and assaults. In response, Moore recently ordered the head of DJS to resign, however, critics argue he was slow to act.
In a statement, Moore’s office pushed back, continuing to blame the prior administration for today’s financial shortfalls. The statement went on this say the state is now moving in the right direction, citing the creation of 100,000 jobs -- more than the last eight years combined. “Maryland has among the lowest unemployment rates and one of the fastest job growth rates in the nation,” a spokesperson said.
You can read the full statement from Moore's office here:
Governor Moore worked with the leaders of the general assembly this session to turn this year’s long-forecasted $3B deficit into a $315M surplus while providing 94% of Marylanders with a tax cut or no change in their income taxes, and making the single largest cut to a Maryland State Budget in 16 years. The governor also ensured that Maryland’s rainy day fund remained at 8%—more than the recommended amount.
After years of economic stagnation, it was clear Maryland had much work ahead to grow the economy from the economic underperformance seen from 2017 to 2022.
However, Maryland is finally moving again. In just two years, Maryland has added nearly 100,000 jobs, more jobs than the previous eight years combined—72% of which come from the private sector. Maryland has among the lowest unemployment rates and one of the fastest job growth rates in the nation. The Moore-Miller administration has created over 35,000 new places of business and is creating about 30% more new establishments each month than in 2019, right before the pandemic. That’s stronger growth than the country for the same period.
By asking Marylanders who have done exceptionally well to put forward just a little more, we will grow Maryland’s economy, ensure the long-term fiscal stability of the state, strengthen our public education system, fix critical infrastructure, and make our communities safer.