Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) was greeted in North Carolina on Thursday with a video produced by the Republican Governors Association highlighting the tax increases he has supported in Maryland.
The video coincided with O’Malley’s visit to campaign for Walter Dalton, the Democratic nominee in a difficult race for governor in the Tar Heel State. And it shows a downside of O’Malley’s higher national profile these days as head of the Democratic Governors Association.
“Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is in North Carolina to campaign for Walter Dalton ... because Dalton supports tax hikes just like O’Malley,” the RGA ad says.
A blog for the Greensboro News & Record reported O’Malley’s response to the RGA attack this way:
“Asked about this today, O’Malley ticked off half a dozen metrics that boiled down to ‘Maryland’s great,’” the blog reported. “He said he cut state spending more than any other governor in state history, that he used ‘a balanced approach’ to handle budget challenges while still supporting public schools and that ... Maryland has a AAA bond rating.”
O’Malley’s political travels have picked up considerably since he took on the DGA chairmanship in 2010.
He has presided over a series of tax increases since becoming Maryland;s governor in 2007, the most recent being a income tax hike on six figure earners that the legislature passed this spring.
