Jessica Haire joins ex-Hogan aide to launch free-market advocacy group

In the midst of a presidential campaign that is growing ever more dynamic, some prominent Maryland Republicans are launching an organization designed to drive the conversation on economic policy in the state.

They will announce this week the creation of Opportunity Maryland, what they are describing as a nonpartisan education and advocacy group that will focus on economic development, job creation and taxes in the coming months.

“Maryland is a great place to live, but people are taking home less of their paycheck and don’t really know much about the new taxes and fees they’re being asked to pay — where they’re coming from and what they’re supposed to be used for,” said Jessica Haire, the former Anne Arundel County Council member who is leading the organization.

Over the next few months, Haire said, Opportunity Maryland aims to host listening sessions across the state to hear what residents’ priorities are and to discuss the state of the state economy and the budget. The goal is to develop an agenda for supporters to push during the upcoming General Assembly session — and to warn against profligate legislation that those affiliated with the group might want to oppose, she said.

The operating philosophy of the free-enterprise group, Haire continued, is that robust economic growth will create jobs, balance the state budget and eliminate the necessity for raising taxes.

“The name Opportunity Maryland really says it all right there,” she said. “We’re going to promote practical and pragmatic policies to make sure that budgets are balanced and that we do away with unnecessary regulations so businesses can grow and thrive.”

Haire said the organization will promote a variety of initiatives, including business tax incentives, the importance of keeping retirees in Maryland, workforce development, smart investments in infrastructure — often through public-private partnerships — maintaining balanced budgets, and lower levels of government spending.

Opportunity Maryland is being set up as a 501(c)(4) organization, an IRS designation that means it can raise money and advocate on issues broadly but cannot support political candidates or lobby on specific legislation.

Kyle Gilbert, a onetime campaign aide to former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) who also served in several roles in the Hogan administration and was operations director for the governor’s second inauguration, will be the executive director for Opportunity Maryland — though that will not be a full-time gig. Derek Flowers, a Washington, D.C.-based Republican strategist, will do communications work for the organization.

Haire said she expects Opportunity Maryland to grow with time, both operationally and with many supporters and volunteers. Asked if the organization had any donors yet, or a fundraising goal, she replied, “We have a lot of fundraising efforts under way, let’s put it that way.”

Invariably, Opportunity Maryland may invite comparisons with the 501(c)(4) group Change Maryland, which Hogan launched in 2011 to blitz then-Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) on taxes and economic policy. Hogan used the groundwork from building that organization, especially collecting contact information for Republicans, independents and dissident Democrats, for his successful campaign for governor in 2014.

Haire said she was surprised by the suggestion that there could be parallels.

“I don’t think that thought crossed my mind,” she said. “This is different. This is new. It’s going to grow a lot of legs and it’s going to take off.”

Besides, Haire said, Opportunity Maryland does not intend to specifically target Gov. Wes Moore (D) or legislative leaders.

“I really hope it’s not viewed as a partisan effort,” she said. “I would really love to work with Gov. Moore on fixing the structural deficit. This is not supposed to be targeting anyone.”

The group does seem poised to highlight the state’s potentially precarious financial situation, with projected structural deficits of more than $3 billion in the coming years, plus a projected five-year shortfall of about $3 billion in transportation funding, at a time when Moore is seeking to build the Red Line in Baltimore and fund other big-ticket transportation projects.

Earlier this year, the three leading Wall Street financial rating agencies retained Maryland’s coveted AAA bond rating, but Moody’s downgraded the state’s financial outlook from stable to “negative” for the first time since 2011.

During this year’s General Assembly session, the House passed a spending plan that included about $1.2 billion in tax increases and other new revenue streams, though those were largely rejected by Moore and Senate Democratic leaders. But the compromise budget did include increases in tobacco taxes and in fees for motor vehicle registrations, plus a surcharge for registrations of electric vehicles, which are expected to bring in hundreds of millions in new revenue.

Haire asserted that state leaders haven’t been straight with Maryland residents about the new taxes and fees or about the state’s precarious financial situation.

“The general public is not really aware of the costs that are staring them in the face in the next few years,” she said. “We keep hearing that we’re fine this year…It’s hard for people to be informed if they’re being kept in the dark.”

Haire said state leaders are selling Marylanders “a pipe dream” by making pricey promises without discussing how they’d pay for them.

“We can’t blindside them with massive tax increases,” she said.

Equally troubling, Haire added, are the higher fees that are being imposed for professional licenses, mentioning cosmetologists, pipefitters and plumbers specifically.

“College is expensive and it’s not for everyone,” she said. “But vocational education and training is a viable alternative. The legislature is making it harder to enter these professions. The fee increases are a barrier to entry.”

Potential political ramifications

Just two weeks ago, Haire, who ran unsuccessfully for Anne Arundel County executive in 2022, told Maryland Matters she was thinking about trying again in 2026. Asked how launching Opportunity Maryland, which could elevate her political profile, might fit into her possible campaign plans, Haire said only that when she lost in 2022, “I remember saying there’s a lot you can do to affect change from the private sector.”

Haire, a government contracts lawyer on infrastructure projects for a Washington, D.C., firm, said she sees her advocacy work with the new organization as an extension of other outside activities, which include working as a court-appointed advocate for children in foster care.

“I view this in the same way,” she said. “It’s using my voice and it’s using my experience to promote good decisions and good outcomes for people in the state.”

Besides, she said, “I can’t sit still.”