The outcome of the legislative session will help determine the Republican Party's position in the next election, and could help in recruiting candidates. "This is going to cement in people's minds whether they think the state is going in the right direction or whether they want to make a difference," said Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, the minority leader from Howard County.
Republicans are focusing on the state's financial problems.
They say O'Malley has failed to implement long-term budget solutions and plans to use billions of dollars in federal stimulus money as a Band-Aid that masks deficits in later years. Duncan, who does not rule out another challenge to O'Malley, has made the same critique.
O'Malley, dogged by budget shortfalls amid a declining economy, contends that he has made tough decisions that put Maryland in far better financial shape than other states. He points to $1.3 billion in tax increases enacted in a special legislative session in 2007 and more than $2 billion in spending reductions. His aides note that federal stimulus funding is meant to be spent immediately to boost the economy and create jobs, not to fill future budget shortfalls.
Republicans have identified other wedge issues they believe resonate with voters as well.
GOP lawmakers are highlighting their perennial objection to the state's policy of issuing driver's licenses to people who cannot prove they are in the country legally. They say the system makes Maryland, one of four states that do not require a "legal presence" by drivers, a magnet for undocumented immigrants.
Democrats have introduced legislation to allow the system to continue. But O'Malley has said he would require driver's license applicants to prove they are legal residents, a change designed to meet a 2010 deadline for complying with the federal Real ID security law. Legislation could come this session, his aides say.
Many Republicans also plan to fight O'Malley's drive to repeal the death penalty in Maryland, noting that polls show a majority of residents still support capital punishment. GOP leaders, though, are reluctant to demand a united front because some members may have moral objections to the death penalty.
Nonetheless, Republicans are hopeful that they will reach more voters. "We are not as bad off as people are saying," Kittleman said. "That Mark Twain quote seems to apply here, that rumors of our death are greatly exaggerated."
maryland's GOP
Republican stances in Annapolis:
* Reduce the size of the state budget
* Bar illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses
* Oppose repeal of the death penalty
online
Find more political news at baltimoresun.com/marylandpolitics
