# Governor / Lieutenant Governor
**In one sentence:** The governor leads state government’s executive branch, the lieutenant governor handles assigned duties, and statewide voters may choose up to one ticket—a pair running together.[1]

## The candidates
### Wes Moore and Aruna Miller (Democratic) [2]
- **Background:** Moore is an Army veteran and former leader of the Robin Hood Foundation, a nonprofit focused on poverty.[3]
- **Top stated priorities:** Their campaign names economic growth, lower crime and investment in public schools.[4]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Moore and Miller are Maryland’s current governor and lieutenant governor.[4]

### Dan Cox and Rob Krop (Republican) [2]
- **Background:** Cox’s voter-guide answers list his work as a lawyer and small-business owner.[5]
- **Top stated priorities:** He proposes lower taxes and fees, lower electricity bills and tighter control of state spending.[5]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Cox served in Maryland’s House of Delegates from 2019–2023 and previously on Secretary’s town council.[5]

### Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews (Green) [2]
- **Background:** Ellis’s voter-guide answers describe him as an analyst and displaced technology worker from Baltimore.[5]
- **Top stated priorities:** He names banning data centers, expanding choices beyond two parties and building an economy that serves everyone.[5]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Ellis served on Baltimore’s Charter Review Commission in 2023–2024 and has held Green Party leadership roles.[5]

### Cathy White and Cathy Permut (Working Class Party) [2]
- **Background:** In her own campaign statement, White says she has spent 40 years as a factory production worker.[6]
- **Top stated priorities:** She calls for independent worker political organizing around jobs, wages, living costs and opposition to war.[6]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Her own account describes factory work and family caregiving while working full time.[6]

## Where they differ
- **Data centers:** Moore favors closer state review and ending tax credits; Cox calls for a statewide pause; Ellis seeks a ban.[5][7] White’s specific position: Not found in sources checked.
- **Taxes:** Cox pledges no tax or fee increases; Ellis proposes higher taxes on wealth and annual income above $250,000.[5] Moore emphasized private investment when asked about future increases, without making Cox’s pledge.[7] White’s specific tax plan: Not found in sources checked.

## If you care most about...
- **Household costs** -> Moore emphasizes private investment; Cox proposes tax cuts; Ellis supports publicly owned utilities; White highlights wages and caregiving costs.[5][6][7]
- **Public schools** -> Moore calls for investment; Cox would repeal and restructure the Blueprint school-funding plan; Ellis would fully fund it.[4][5] White’s specific funding plan: Not found in sources checked.
- **Political voice** -> Moore and Cox run through the Democratic and Republican parties; Ellis proposes ranked-choice voting, letting voters rank candidates; White calls for a separate workers’ organization.[2][5][6]

## What we could not verify
Detailed White proposals on taxes, electricity and school funding: Not found in sources checked. Independent estimates of the costs and savings of each ticket’s promises: Not found in sources checked.

## Confidence
**Medium.** Official listings verify the tickets; several policy details rely on candidates’ own statements.[2][5][6]

## Sources
1. [1] Constitution, Article II - Maryland State Archives - https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/43const/html/02art2.html
2. [2] 2026 General Election State Candidates List - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html
3. [3] Governor Wes Moore - Office of the Governor - https://governor.maryland.gov/leadership/governor-wes-moore
4. [4] Cox tops Hale in GOP primary, heads to rematch with Moore for governor - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/06/23/moore-cruises-to-renomination-as-republicans-duke-it-out/
5. [5] Governor of Maryland 2026 election candidate profiles - The Baltimore Sun; candidate-written answers - https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/20/governor-of-maryland-candidates-2026-election/
6. [6] Cathy White campaign statement - Working Class Party; candidate’s own claims - https://sites.google.com/view/wcp-md
7. [7] 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/