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Nicole Raz
WMAL.com
(ANNAPOLIS) — Governor-elect Larry Hogan will be sworn in Wednesday, beginning what political analysts expect to be four years of a ruthless power struggle between the Republican-held governor's office and the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
"The Democrats really view Larry Hogan not as a governor, but as a trespasser," says Blair Lee, a member of the Larry Hogan transition team. "Democrats feel entitled to control state government. They were able to get rid of the prior Republican Governor, Robert Ehrlich, after one term; that's their same plane for Larry Hogan."
Hogan has expressed his willingness to work with the Democratic legislature and it's been two and a half months of fanfare since he was elected, but the political fireworks will come quickly, Lee told WMAL.
"He has a bunch of policy issues that he is going to have to take a position on quickly," he said. "For example, whether or not to build those two light rail projects in the Montgomery County, Prince George's area and in Baltimore City. What to do about the so-called State Center project in Baltimore City, which is important to them. And most importantly, his budget cuts."
Lee said Hogan will not "play the same kind of accounting-gimmick games" that Gov. O'Malley did; heavy-duty budget cuts are coming to Maryland, whether Democrats like it or not.
Maryland's constitution entrusts the governor with the strongest budgetary powers in the country. Unlike every other state, Maryland senators and delegates are not able to add money to the budget or transfer money between programs.
"They can only further cut the budget. So, to a large extent, when it comes to the budget—the most important battleground between Hogan and the Democrats– Hogan holds the whip hand," Lee told WMAL. "All the people that are now asking Larry Hogan to compromise, to meet them halfway–I'm talking about the public employee unions, the environmentalists, the folks from Montgomery [County], PG and Baltimore City— all these people, four years from now, are going to be out there cutting Larry Hogan's throat. He knows it and they know it, and there's not much room for compromise."
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