Maryland's gubernatorial candidates sniped at each other Thursday in their second and likely final televised debate, while focusing on transportation, immigration, the Redskins and other issues dear to the Washington suburbs.
Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. appeared more focused and at ease than he had earlier this week in the first debate, firing off crowd-pleasing one-liners. Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley played it safe, sticking mostly to his campaign talking points and avoiding gaffes.
Both candidates addressed the growing state worker pension gap more clearly than at any previous point.
Ehrlich said he would move the state away from traditional pensions of defined benefits for new employees, while preserving the existing system for current employees. He said suburbs would have to shoulder some of the pension burden for teachers — a shift he said would need to be undertaken slowly and carefully.
O'Malley said he would wait for a report from a commission studying the pension issue. After the debate, the governor reiterated that he does not favor defined contributions such as 401(k) and predicted that a "mix" of ideas would be needed to preserve the pension system.
The audience at Washington Post headquarters in downtown Washington appeared divided evenly between supporters of Ehrlich and O'Malley. The partisans disregarded rules about refraining from applause, clapping and booing after many of the candidates' remarks.
Gail Brooks, a 58-year-old registered Democrat from Calvert County, said after the debate that she plans to vote for O'Malley because he supports President Barack Obama. But the law firm receptionist said she was impressed with both candidates' performance at the debate. She pulled Ehrlich aside afterward to tell him he seemed "presidential."
"He's no tea party candidate," Brooks said of Ehrlich. "He's a Maryland Republican. We can be proud to have the two candidates we have."
The debate included several questions on the economy and the candidates' fiscal policies — topics that elicited some of the most impassioned exchanges.
Ehrlich said the state is a "tax hell" from a business perspective, but he offered no specific ways of paying for the penny-per-dollar sales tax rollback he has pledged to push if elected. He suggested that increased sales spurred by the lower tax rate, combined with reforming pensions and reconfiguring state agencies, could make up the roughly $600 million budget hole the rollback could create.
O'Malley countered that his rival "has no idea" how he would pay for a sales tax reduction.
Ehrlich said he would categorically rule out any tax hikes. He said Marylanders are already "feeling the hurt," and in a $32 billion state budget, he sees no need for new revenue.
O'Malley said Ehrlich has "no credibility" on the issue. The governor said Ehrlich made the same no-new-taxes pledge when running in 2002 but later broke it. O'Malley said Ehrlich promised not to raise income or sales taxes — and he didn't — but he did raise property taxes and some fees.
The debate's three panelists — from The Post, a Washington television station and Washington public radio — guided the conversation to issues of interest to residents of the overwhelmingly Democratic Washington suburbs.
The candidates had a back-and-forth on expanding light rail in the capital region. Ehrlich said he favors a rapid bus to link Montgomery and Prince George's counties, which he said would be a more affordable option. O'Malley disagreed, saying that the proposed Purple Line light rail would be cheaper to maintain and would attract businesses and boost property values.
O'Malley described Ehrlich's plan as a metaphor for his administration: "More expensive and less effective."
A panelist asked whether either candidate would give state money to a group that assists illegal immigrants — likely a reference to Casa de Maryland, which has its headquarters in Langley Park.
O'Malley and Ehrlich agreed that immigration should be reformed at the federal level. Several times in his answer, O'Malley referred to immigrants as "new Americans" — a phrase that drew Ehrlich's scorn.
"By the way, if somebody breaks into my house, is that a new member of my family that night?" Ehrlich asked.
Both men gave their views on the possibility of the Redskins, who play at FedEx Field in Landover, moving back to Washington. Ehrlich, who promotes his ability to turn personal relationships into wins for the state, noted that team owner Dan Snyder likes him and has donated money to his campaign. O'Malley said he wants the team to stay in Maryland.
The debate included a few light-hearted questions.
Each candidate was asked to say something nice about the other. O'Malley praised Ehrlich for creating a "flush tax" that has given the state funds to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Ehrlich echoed a theme from a speech he gave to losing GOP candidates during the primary, saying he was impressed that O'Malley "put himself out there" to run for office.
They also supplied advice as to how the Orioles could improve. "Practice, practice, practice," O'Malley advised. Debate viewers learned that Ehrlich has a knack for late-'60s and 1970s music trivia.
Turning to unfinished business from the debate Monday in Baltimore, O'Malley insisted that Ehrlich has steadfastly refused to acknowledge progress in Baltimore's schools and in the crime rate. Ehrlich pointed out, again, that while O'Malley was mayor of Baltimore, thousands of black men were imprisoned on minor charges as part of a zero-tolerance police strategy that was abandoned by his successors.
Afterward, O'Malley said Ehrlich "pits people against one another," a quality that is "unbecoming of a leader of our great state."
Washington Post Live editor Mary Jordan, who moderated the forum, interrupted frequently when the two veered off track. Ehrlich refrained from calling O'Malley "gov," as he did repeatedly on Monday. This time, he accused O'Malley of answering in "cliches."
Ehrlich said afterward that he needs to "catch up" in the polls. Both camps immediately declared victory — with O'Malley's campaign sending out an e-mail one minute before the exchange ended to say the governor won. At 1 p.m. on the dot, the Ehrlich team said victory was, in fact, his.