The campaign for governor gave voters a clear choice between the moderate-to-liberal Parris N. Glendening and his conservative Republican opponent, Ellen R. Sauerbrey.
But in the last few days, the lines between them blurred a bit as Mr. Glendening, who eked out a narrow victory, began laying out an agenda with a conservative complexion, including a tax cut, a speedier death penalty and a moratorium on gun control measures.
And yesterday, Mr. Glendening said budget considerations might force him to wait a year to remove restrictions on state-funded abortions for poor women, something he pledged to do in his first year in office.
The early decisions by the governor-elect have startled some supporters. "I was under the impression that he was really going to go for stiffer gun control," said Helen Foley, a Catonsville senior citizen who voted for Mr. Glendening largely because of his stand on the issue. "Now he says he's not going to do anything in this session. As a voter, I'm extremely disappointed."
But state lawmakers said they were not surprised by Mr. Glendening's early emphasis, given Mrs. Sauerbrey's impressive showing in heavily Democratic Maryland.
"I think that anybody in their right mind understands that the public is getting very frustrated with government," said Del. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat. "He's hearing the public and he's saying, 'Hold it, wait a minute, maybe I need to look more closely at what I'm doing to accommodate the public.'"
Del. Robert H. Kittleman, the incoming House Republican leader, said Mr. Glendening, like President Clinton, is responding to the Republican tidal wave in November. "They're both scrambling to the center," Mr. Kittleman said. "I'm delighted to see it."
Mr. Glendening said he has been chuckling at the notion that he is reinventing himself, noting that recent statements, including his embrace of a speedier death penalty, are consistent with his campaign position book.
"I would say the campaign made me look a little more liberal than I am," he said last night.
He acknowledged that since the election, he has emphasized some conservative proposals.
"You have to start someplace on the emphasis," he said.
During the often bitter campaign, Mr. Glendening hammered at Mrs. Sauerbrey's proposal to cut the state income tax, saying it would wreck local governments. As the campaign heated up, Mr. Glendening began talking more about a tax cut.
This week, he was sounding as though a tax cut were inevitable by the fourth year of his administration.
Thursday, Mr. Glendening made crime the subject of his first major policy announcement. A highlight was his plan to accelerate the death penalty process and crack down on juvenile offenders.
The announcement included the disclosure that Mr. Glendening will not pursue this year the sweeping gun-control measure that was a key plank of his campaign platform, though he said there would be a proposal later in his administration.
In an interview last night, Mr. Glendening said he might have to postpone for a year his campaign commitment to lift restrictions on Medicaid-funded abortions.
"I'm trying to find the actual cost. . . . If it's too expensive, we'll put it off for a year," he said. "I'm hoping we will be able to do it this year."
Mr. Glendening's move on gun control does not match the mood of the public, according to Del Ali, vice president of Mason-Dixon Political Media Research, a Columbia polling firm. "Gun control is a popular issue, particularly in Maryland," Mr. Ali said, citing a February poll that found 62 percent of Marylanders favored licensing gun owners. "Of all the things to move away from, why he chose that is kind of mind-boggling."
Aides to Mr. Glendening said this week that he thinks the legislature is not ready to pass major gun-control legislation next year.
"It sounds like the tough battles, he's afraid to take on," Mr. Ali said. "If he's backing away from an issue that appears to be popular because he's afraid of offending the powers that be in the legislature, what's that say about his leadership style?"
But Mr. Glendening's fellow Democrats in the legislature are giving him a chance.
"I think he's being realistic on gun control," said Sen. John A. Pica Jr., a leading lawmaker on the issue. "I don't think you can push a sweeping measure through the Senate. The votes just aren't there."