The long election season is finally over. I can’t say I’ll miss seeing the dozen or so mailers about Question 7 in my mailbox or the constant robocalls about that same issue. While many people focus on the presidential election, I was much more interested to see how Maryland’s ballot questions would turn out. With voters approving in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, gay marriage, and gambling, it may be time for the state to put aside social issues and focus on fiscal matters.

I’ve heard many conservatives saying that a conservative candidate can win a statewide race in Maryland. They say that the failure of any presidential candidate to carry Maryland and, outside of Bob Ehrlich, any statewide Republican to win is a reflection of these candidates’ weaknesses, not the inherent liberalism of the Maryland electorate.

There may be some truth to this criticism, since many statewide conservative candidates have been pretty poor. But it seems there is a definite liberal streak when it comes to the Maryland electorate. As last night’s results show, they just don’t vote for liberal candidates, they also vote for liberal causes.

I don’t want to go too far, however. The issues of illegal immigration, gay marriage, and gambling don’t sum up the whole spectrum of conservative opinion. These are largely social issues. I think it’s safe to say that the Maryland electorate is socially liberal.

Maybe the Maryland electorate is also fiscally conservative. This isn’t something we can find out through the referendum process, however, since the state constitution does not allow spending measures to be decided by voters. I think that’s a flaw in our governing document, but it’s what we’re stuck with.

Since we don’t know this answer, perhaps the state’s voters would support a fiscally conservative candidate who was also a social liberal. Both Bob Ehrlich and Peter Franchot seem to fit this description, more or less, and they have had some success statewide. If Franchot runs for governor in 2014, we may get a more definitive answer to that question.

Regardless of whether it’s popular or not, fiscal conservatism is something that is inevitable for both our state and our country. The state and county obligations for pension and other benefits to retired government workers is simply not something that taxpayers can bear. There is constant pressure at the state (and often the local) level to increase spending on various government programs, regardless of efficacy and sustainability.

At MPPI, we focus on fiscal issues because our government at all levels has to do things differently. That’s a reality that both parties in Maryland and around the nation simply must confront. The math doesn’t lie. Will the candidates running for Maryland offices in 2014 realize this? Will the voters look at the obvious evidence of a coming fiscal meltdown to heart? The fight over social issues seems settled in this state. It’s time for everyone, Republican or Democrat, to start getting serious about the budget problems that face our state government and local governments.