Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Political Hopes, Fears Ride High on Ehrlich Decision (Maryland)
Washington Post ^ | October 2, 2009 | WaPo Staff

Posted on 10/02/2009 12:22:21 PM PDT by Hawk720

More than a thousand fans of former Maryland governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. are expected to turn out Saturday for a family corn roast, where kids will be able to take pony rides while their parents pose for pictures with the Republican and his wife. Proceeds will go to a campaign account Ehrlich has kept open since his 2006 reelection loss.

The event in Reisterstown comes a week after he was the main attraction at a Republican spaghetti dinner in Cockeysville and another event just days before, where he was warmly received over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres by a GOP women's club in Potomac.

There is no question that Ehrlich is ratcheting up his political activity as he prepares to announce whether he will seek a rematch with Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), a decision that is already largely defining next year's campaign season in Maryland. Out of deference to Ehrlich, some potential hopefuls have put their plans on hold, while others are finding it nearly impossible to raise money until he makes up his mind.

Ehrlich's decision -- and just how much longer his party will have to wait for it -- remains anything but clear. He said he is unsure, and people who have recently spoken to him say he is genuinely undecided about entering a race that he is uncertain to win. But that hasn't kept even his closest associates from reading their hopes into his actions.

"I think he's running. He just doesn't know it yet," said Richard E. Hug, Ehrlich's chief fundraiser for the 2002 and 2006 campaigns, who said he is prepared to start raising the millions of dollars that will be required for 2010 as soon as necessary.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Government; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: ehrlich; md2010; mdgop

1 posted on 10/02/2009 12:22:21 PM PDT by Hawk720
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Hawk720

Ehrlich is a near RINO - maybe he learned his lesson...


2 posted on 10/02/2009 12:31:20 PM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hawk720; Impy; Clintonfatigued; Clemenza; AuH2ORepublican; darkangel82; BillyBoy

Ehrlich needs to run again. It’s funny that between him and Michael Steele, I used to have a higher opinion of Steele, but in my estimation, I think Ehrlich ended up more Conservative. His going to bat last year for a Conservative in the 1st when he didn’t have to or could’ve stuck with the RINO incumbent stands out to me.


3 posted on 10/02/2009 12:45:27 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hawk720
Ehrlich is the closest thing to a conservative to win a statewide election in Maryland in at least 10 years.
4 posted on 10/02/2009 1:05:21 PM PDT by detective
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hawk720
Ehrlich is the closest thing to a conservative to win a statewide election in Maryland in at least 10 years.
5 posted on 10/02/2009 1:05:38 PM PDT by detective
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: detective
Try 40 years. Since 1966, only 4 Republicans have won statewide office. Spiro Agnew won the Governorship as a liberal Republican (the Conservative was the Democrat nominee George Mahoney), Chuck Mathias won the Senate seat as a far-left RINO (who badly wanted to switch to the Dems in the '80s, but opted to retire), Glenn Beall, Jr. was a moderate during his single term in the Senate (1971-77), and Ehrlich as a center-right was likely the most Conservative of the four.
6 posted on 10/02/2009 1:21:34 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Hawk720

I’d rather have him run for Senate.


7 posted on 10/02/2009 1:30:01 PM PDT by Terpin (Missing: One very clever and insightful tagline. Reward for safe return!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Terpin; fieldmarshaldj; Hawk720; Clintonfatigued; AuH2ORepublican

It would be better for the nation to have him in the Senate

But he can’t beat Babs Milkulski.

He can beat the less than popular O’Malley.

But unless Republicans make gains in the legislature his vetoes would be worthless.


8 posted on 10/02/2009 3:08:09 PM PDT by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN | NO "INDIVIDUAL MANDATE"!!!!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Impy; Terpin; fieldmarshaldj; Hawk720; Clintonfatigued

If Mikulski retired, Ehrlich would have an excellent chance of being elected to the Senate (especially with Kweisi Mfume being more likely than not to get the Dem nomination). But, you’re right, it will be very tough to dislodge Mikulski.

I hope that Ehrlich runs against O’Malley and that if he falls short he doesn’t stop running and takes on Cardin in 2012.


9 posted on 10/02/2009 3:38:05 PM PDT by AuH2ORepublican (Fred Thompson appears human-sized because he is actually standing a million miles away.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: AuH2ORepublican; fieldmarshaldj

I thought she would be a possible retiree but it’s looks like she’s running again. She’d be close to 80 at the end of her next term.

Hopefully it will be her last. Do Hobbits live longer than Humans?


10 posted on 10/03/2009 11:33:50 AM PDT by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN | NO "INDIVIDUAL MANDATE"!!!!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Impy; fieldmarshaldj

I don’t know, but the Greek Isles’ diet appears to add years to a person’s life. She claims to be from Baltimore, but it is an open secret that she’s really from a certain island in the Aegean just off the coast of Turkey . . . .


11 posted on 10/03/2009 2:13:04 PM PDT by AuH2ORepublican (Fred Thompson appears human-sized because he is actually standing a million miles away.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: AuH2ORepublican

12 posted on 10/03/2009 2:23:46 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Hawk720; Abundy; Albion Wilde; AlwaysFree; AnnaSASsyFR; bayliving; BFM; cindy-true-supporter; ...
Out of deference to Ehrlich, some potential hopefuls have put their plans on hold, while others are finding it nearly impossible to raise money until he makes up his mind.

Idiots. We need some other people to run against Mr. Embryonic Stem Cells Ehrhead. The more conservative, the better!

Maryland "Freak State" PING!

13 posted on 10/03/2009 5:49:35 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Barack Hussein Obama: the country's greatest firearms salesman!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Impy
Hopefully it will be her last. Do Hobbits live longer than Humans?

I don't know, but my connections in The Shire tell me that Bilbo died pining for her.

14 posted on 10/03/2009 5:54:13 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Barack Hussein Obama: the country's greatest firearms salesman!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Impy

She’s 1 big hobbit.

She’s the Butterball turkey.


15 posted on 10/03/2009 8:54:09 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Technological progress cannot be legislated.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
We need some other people to run against Mr. Embryonic Stem Cells Ehrhead.

Mr. Appoints a Gay Judge to Family Court Ehrhead? That Ehrhead?

16 posted on 10/04/2009 3:11:29 PM PDT by Albion Wilde ("I apologize to hookers for having associated them with the House of Representatives.--Jim Traficant)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Albion Wilde

bttt


17 posted on 10/16/2009 8:43:00 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson