Can Maryland's Economic Exodus Be Stopped?

The fact of the matter is, Wes Moore is failing Maryland while running for president on our dime, and if Republicans nominate the wrong candidate, we're going to hand him four more years to finish the job.

If Wes Moore were to win re-election, as unthinkable as that is, Maryland would experience an exodus the likes of which the "Land of Pleasant Living" has never witnessed. 

Look at your utility bill. Really look at it. Maryland has systematically shut down or phased out reliable power plants without replacing them with anything dependable. The result? We're buying power off the open market at peak prices and passing the bill directly to every single Marylander. Utility costs are now 12% above the national average and climbing. Meanwhile, Calvert Cliffs, the only nuclear plant in the state, one of the most reliable sources of clean energy in the nation, sits at two reactors when it should have three. The proposal to expand it was shelved a decade ago and Moore hasn't pressed hard enough to make it a reality. Instead, he's doubled down on wind and solar, which together provide roughly 6% of the state's electricity. Six percent. That’s doubling down on failed policy.

This has resulted in bills so astronomical that many of our seniors on fixed incomes are making tough choices between heat and prescription medication, while our working families and small businesses are forced to divert more hard-earned income to Exelon.

It doesn't stop at energy. Housing is 34% above the national average. Groceries are 14% higher. Maryland ranks 45th out of 50 states in population inflow. Between 2023 and 2024, the state lost nearly 33,000 residents and $2.5 billion in adjusted gross income walked out the door with them. Small business survival rates dropped from 19% to 12% in a single year. Moore's response? More taxes. More fees. More regulation. As a matter of fact, Wes Moore signed the largest tax and fee hike in state history. California tried this. Ask them how it's going.

I'm Ed Hale. I've taken the helm of organizations in serious trouble before. I know what fiscal discipline looks like, and I know what it produces. Tyrone Keys and I are the only team in this race who can actually fix what Moore broke. We will restore competition to Maryland's energy market, demand answers on runaway utility costs, and fight to bring reliable power generation back to a state that desperately needs it. Moore has spent two years finding new ways to take money out of your pocket. Tax hikes. Fee hikes. Surcharges. All of it dressed up as progress. We will fight like hell every single day to repeal every last one of his cash grabs. Every. Single. One. 

Let's be honest about the alternative. Nominating someone with zero executive experience isn't a gamble, it's a gift to Moore's campaign. Nominating Dan Cox, the same Dan Cox that Wes Moore took to the woodshed and beat by 30 points, isn't a second chance. It's the best way Maryland Republicans have ever found to lose on purpose. Help is on the way, but only with your support.

Maryland is becoming unaffordable, ungovernable, and increasingly empty. Moore is too busy auditioning for 2028 to notice or care. Maryland deserves a governor who shows up, tells the truth, and knows how to run something.

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Ed Hale is a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Maryland. Mr. Hale is the owner of the Baltimore Blast professional soccer team. He has founded and managed companies in the shipping, logistics, real estate development, and banking industries. His projects include the Baltimore Exxon refinery demolition and environmental restoration, Canton Crossing, and the Canton Waterfront.