# Governor / Lieutenant Governor **In one sentence:** Pick the next governor and lieutenant governor of Maryland, the state's chief executives; you can vote for one of the four tickets. ## The candidates ### Wes Moore and Aruna Miller (Democratic) - **Background:** Moore is Maryland's 63rd governor and first Black governor; an Army veteran, Rhodes Scholar, author, and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation. Miller is the 10th lieutenant governor, the first immigrant and first woman of color in statewide office, and a former transportation engineer and state delegate. [1][2][3][11] - **Top stated priorities:** "Driving down costs for working families," public safety, and K–12 education; record school funding, a $15 minimum wage, and climate/clean-energy goals. [3] - **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Moore has served as governor since January 2023 and says the state has added nearly 100,000 jobs, cut crime, and delivered record education funding. Miller has spent 25 years in transportation and 8 years in the state legislature. [2][3][4] ### Dan Cox and Rob Krop (Republican) - **Background:** Cox is a Frederick County attorney and former state delegate (2019–2023), and the 2022 GOP nominee. Krop is a Frederick County real estate broker, property manager, and shooting-range owner who has never held office. [6][7][8] - **Top stated priorities:** Cut taxes and fees, fix the energy crisis with in-state power (including nuclear and gas), and rebuild the Key Bridge fast. [7] - **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Cox lost to Moore in 2022 and served four years in the state House, where he worked on family law and public safety. Krop brings 20 years of real estate business. [6][7][8] ### Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews (Green) - **Background:** Ellis is a Baltimore technology/data-analytics worker, debate coach, and longtime Green Party organizer. Andrews is a Baltimore educator and community organizer. [9][10][12] - **Top stated priorities:** Declare climate, energy, food, and water emergencies; build a "solidarity economy" with a wealth tax, a public bank, and worker cooperatives. [9][12] - **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Ellis ran for state delegate in 2018 and served on the Baltimore City Charter Commission; Andrews has run on prior ballot campaigns. Neither has held state office. [9][10][12] ### Cathy White and Cathy Permut (Working Class) - **Background:** White is a Montgomery County factory production worker of about 40 years who says she is "not a professional politician." Permut is a retired math teacher and Baltimore resident. [13][14][15] - **Top stated priorities:** Attack low wages, inflation, and rising housing and care costs; reject attacks on immigrants and other groups. [13][14] - **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Neither has held public office. White has no prior office; Permut has none since high school. [14][15] ## Where they differ - **Taxes and budget:** Cox says he will "not raise taxes and fees" and will cut them. Moore declined to promise no tax increase, pointing to spending control and private investment. The state faces about a $3 billion structural deficit. [5][16] - **Key Bridge:** Moore says the rebuilt bridge will open in "record time." Cox argues the rebuild is running late (2030) and cost has jumped to $4.3–5.2 billion. [5][16] - **Climate/energy:** Ellis urges declared climate emergencies and a solidarity economy. Krop backs in-state nuclear and gas generation. Moore has pushed clean energy and emissions targets. [9][7][4] ## If you care most about... - **Cost of living** -> Cox promises no new taxes; Moore says the federal government causes price hikes and offers modest cuts. [5][16] - **Public safety and crime** -> Moore cites big drops in homicides and shootings; Cox and White both stress worker/family costs rather than crime. [4][14] - **Big infrastructure projects** -> Moore promises the Key Bridge in "record time"; Cox says it will be done faster under round-the-clock work. [5][16] - **A break from the two-party system** -> Ellis and White argue both major parties serve the wealthy; White says "the working class has no voice." [12][13] ## What we could not verify Not found in sources checked: endorsements for Ellis/Andrews and White/Permut; and specific detailed issue stances for Andrews and Permut beyond their party platforms. ## Confidence **High** for the main candidates, from official state and multiple non-partisan sources; **Medium** for the third-party tickets, whose details come mainly from their own sites and light news coverage. ## Sources [1] Maryland General Election 2026 – Governor & Lt. Governor - Maryland State Archives - https://www.msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/42electg/html/2026/2026gov.html [2] Wes Moore - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Wes_Moore [3] Maryland gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026 - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2026 [4] Governor Wes Moore / Priorities & Results - Maryland Governor's Office - https://governor.maryland.gov/priorities [5] Moore and Cox bring heat to debate, but will it alter the race? - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/10/06/moore-and-cox-bring-heat-to-debate-but-will-it-alter-the-race/ [6] Dan Cox (Maryland) - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Dan_Cox_(Maryland) [7] Rob Krop - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Rob_Krop [8] Lt. Governor Candidate - Dan Cox for Governor - https://dancoxforgovernor.com/our-teams/ [9] Andy Ellis — Candidate Record - Voterist - https://www.voterist.com/candidate/andy-ellis-md-2026-governor [10] Ellis, Andrews win Maryland Green Party nods - FOX Baltimore - https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/andy-ellis-owen-silverman-andrews-maryland-green-party-governor-lieutenant-governor-general-election [11] Aruna Miller - Maryland Women's Hall of Fame - https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshallfame/html/millera.html [12] Political Priorities - Andy Ellis for Governor 2026 - https://www.gogreen2026.com/platform [13] WCP of MD - Working Class Party - https://sites.google.com/view/wcp-md [14] Cathy White - Ballot Atlas - https://ballotatlas.org/candidates/cathy-white/ [15] Cathy Permut - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Cathy_Permut [16] Cox Pressed Moore on Taxes, the Key Bridge and a Full Term - MDBayNews - https://mdbaynews.com/2026/10/07/cox-moore-maryland-governor-debate-taxes-key-bridge-full-term/ --- Note on the governance step: my available tool surface here is web search/extraction only — the `mcp__receipts__emit_receipt` and `mcp__evals__emit_eval` tools are not loaded in this session, so I could not emit a receipt/eval. If you want one, let me know and I can write the digest to the vault instead.