Republican U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan promised to bring his anti-tax, pro-business approach as governor to the Senate during a campaign stop Wednesday near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Hogan promoted a five-point platform, some of which mirror his policies as governor, including cutting taxes on retirees, increasing access to affordable housing, reducing health care costs and opposing policies that would increase healthcare costs. food, energy and basic needs.
“We will provide tax relief to working families, seniors and small businesses,” Hogan said. “We will accelerate housing construction and support middle-class housing. We will inject greater transparency and competition into the healthcare market. We will advance tax credits, educational sponsorship accounts, and greater flexibility for 529 (college savings) accounts. And we will continue to oppose excessive taxation, spending and overregulation at the county, state and federal levels, which drives higher prices and kills small businesses and jobs.”
Hogan frequently referred to the principles of his two terms and sharply criticized both Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic Party nominee for Maryland‘s U.S. Senate seat.
He also chastised Democrats, who hold a supermajority in Annapolis, over upcoming increases in vehicle registration fees, targeted taxes totaling about $2.1 billion over five years.
“The last thing Marylanders need right now is tax increases,” Hogan said, referencing a list of fees and taxes.
“They will affect almost everyone. “No one will be left behind,” Hogan said, reusing a phrase frequently used by Moore. “They will be felt throughout the state.”
Hogan stepped back to highlight his efforts to reduce state fees and tolls (an announcement he made on the west side of the Bay Bridge) and his opposition to tax increases.
“I think the people of Maryland know my record. And it’s pretty clear,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers have long criticized Hogan’s toll reduction as detrimental to the upkeep of facilities operated and maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Moore, speaking Monday to local officials attending the Maryland Municipal League’s summer conference in Ocean City, highlighted the growth of state budgets under Hogan in the final years of his tenure.
“But as our budget grew, you know what didn’t grow? Our economy,” Moore said Monday.
“I would say Wes Moore doesn’t know much about our administration,” Hogan said when asked about Moore’s comments. “I think he was in New York making millions on Wall Street while I was governor. But I left office with a 77% job approval rating from the people of Maryland. And that’s all that matters to me.
“I really don’t care what Wes Moore thinks. I can tell you that anyone who compares our fiscal record to his is going to think things are pretty bad,” he said.
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Hogan also highlighted a recent bond rating that placed the state’s creditworthiness in a negative light.
“And recently, we have been downgraded by the rating agencies and are on track to lose our triple-A bond rating for the state and Prince George’s County,” Hogan said.
That state’s credit rating was not downgraded. Maryland is one of the few states that continues to have the highest bond rating from all three major rating agencies.
But Moody’s, in its report this spring, cited a number of concerns and issued a negative outlook on the state’s financial stability, even as it reaffirmed the triple-A rating. Neither of the two remaining rating agencies issued a negative outlook.
Similarly, Hogan criticized Alsobrooks for both his county governance and his support for what he described as a tax increase.
Alsobrooks supports raising the limit on Social Security taxes. Currently, the tax, which is linked to inflation, is capped at an individual’s first $168,600. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has proposed increasing the limit to the first $400,000 from income.
“If Larry Hogan opposes making changes to the Social Security payroll limit, he is arguing that he sees no need for every American to pay their fair share into Social Security,” said Gina Ford, a spokeswoman for Alsobrooks’ campaign. “Angela, of course, disagrees with him. She has made it clear that this race is about the future. And she refuses to pass on an endangered Social Security system to the next generation.”
“When it comes to taxes, in this campaign Angela has made it clear that she opposes Trump’s tax cuts for massive, ultra-wealthy corporations,” Ford said.
At times, the event looked as if Hogan was running a third campaign for state chief executive. He dodged questions about the possibility of challenging Moore in 2028.
“Well, you know, we’ll jump off that bridge when we get to it,” Hogan said. “Right now. I’m focused on getting elected senator. That’s my entire focus.”
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