Robert Ehrlich - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the entrepreneur and businessman, see Robert Ehrlich (businessman)
Robert Ehrlich (businessman)
Robert Ehrlich is an American businessman and entrepreneur. An ex-commodities trader, he founded Robert's American Gourmet Food, a manufacturer of organic snack foods....

.

Robert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland

Governor of Maryland

The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...

from 2003 to 2007. A Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, he became governor after defeating Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend , is an American attorney who was the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Maryland in 2002. In 2010 she became the chair of the non-profit American Bridge, an organization that will raise funds for Democratic...

, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections. Prior to serving as governor, Ehrlich represented Maryland's 2nd Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

and was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

. Ehrlich lost to Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

Martin O'Malley

Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...

in the November 2006 elections. He was the only incumbent governor to be defeated in the November 2006 elections. In 2010, Ehrlich ran again, hoping to defeat O'Malley, but lost again. Ehrlich then announced via his web site that he "will return to private life". In October 2011 he was named as Chairman of Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...

's Maryland campaign for the 2012 Republican nomination for President

Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012

The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are the selection processes in which voters of the Republican Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. The primary contest began with a fairly wide field, and is the first presidential primary...

Early life, career, and family

Ehrlich was born in the Southwest Baltimore suburb of Arbutus, Maryland

Arbutus, Maryland

As of the 2010 Census Arbutus had a population of 20,583. The racial and ethnic compositon of the population was 76.6% non-Hispanic white, 9.5% non-Hispanic black, 0.2% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 6.5% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 2.3% from...

. After attending Gilman School

Gilman School

Gilman School is a private preparatory school for boys located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1897 as the Country School for Boys, it was the first country day school in the United States. Gilman enrolls approximately 978 students, ranging from kindergarten to...

, he received degrees from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

(1979) on a partial scholarship, where he was the captain of the football team and a member of the Cap and Gown Club

Cap and Gown Club

Cap and Gown Club, founded in 1890, is an eating club at Princeton University, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Colloquially known as "Cap", the club is one of the "Big Four" eating clubs at Princeton . Members are selected through a selective process called bicker...

, and Wake Forest University School of Law

Wake Forest University School of Law

The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American...

(1982).

After law school, Ehrlich worked for Ober, Kaler, Grimes and Shriver, a Baltimore law firm. In November 1986, Ehrlich won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

, representing parts of Baltimore County

Baltimore County, Maryland

Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...

from 1987 to 1995. He was a moderate Republican representing a Democratic stronghold.

He married Kendel Sibiski

Kendel Sibiski Ehrlich

Kendel Sibiski Ehrlich is the former First Lady of Maryland, having served from 2003 to 2007 during the administration of Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich. An attorney, Mrs. Ehrlich was active in various policy issues while serving as First Lady....

in 1993. They have two sons, Drew Robert Ehrlich and Joshua Taylor Ehrlich.

He is also a frequent guest on the Sports Junkies.

Congress

In 1993, 2nd district Representative Helen Delich Bentley

Helen Delich Bentley

Helen Delich Bentley is an American politician and a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of Maryland .-Life and career:...

announced she would be vacating her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ehrlich announced his candidacy in November, and won the election.

During his term, he introduced legislation aimed at helping disabled

Disability

A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...

people maintain employment, and supported harsher gun violence

Gun violence

Gun violence defined literally means the use of a firearm to threaten or inflict violence or harm. Gun violence may be broadly defined as a category of violence and crime committed with the use of a firearm; it may or may not include actions ruled as self-defense, actions for law enforcement, or...

penalties.

While in Congress, Ehrlich served on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. He was also a member of the subcommittees on health, telecommunications and the Internet, and environment and hazardous materials; the Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, where he served as cochairman; and the Congressional Steel Caucus.

2002 gubernatorial election

In 2002, Governor Parris Glendening

Parris Glendening

Parris Nelson Glendening , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 59th Governor of Maryland from January 18, 1995 to January 15, 2003...

’s (D) second term was coming to a close. While Glendening had been reelected by a substantial margin in 1998, the final years of his term were plagued by a personal marital crisis, and a large state budget deficit. The rural areas of Maryland largely Republican had long criticized Glendening for what they perceived as overzealous environmental regulations as well as a feeling he was ignoring their budgetary needs (bridges, highways, etc.).

On March 15, 2002, Ehrlich announced his candidacy for the governorship. He attacked Glendening's record and his Democratic opposition, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

, and promised, if elected, to increase school funding, balance the budget, and protect the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

. Ehrlich chose as his running mate the attorney and Republican politician Michael S. Steele

Michael S. Steele

Michael Stephen Steele is an American politician who served as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee from January 2009 until January 2011. From 2003 to 2007, he was the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, the first African American elected to statewide...

, an African-American.

During the election, Townsend was criticized for her choice of running mate; she picked retired Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

Charles R. Larson

Charles R. Larson is a retired four-star Admiral of the United States Navy.-Military career:A 1958 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Larson twice served as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He also served as Commander in Chief, United States Pacific...

, a novice politician who had switched parties only a few weeks before. The Townsend campaign was also hurt by the unpopularity of Governor Parris Glendening

Parris Glendening

Parris Nelson Glendening , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 59th Governor of Maryland from January 18, 1995 to January 15, 2003...

, who had implemented a redistricting

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

proposal that was overturned by Maryland's highest court. Townsend's popularity continued to fall when it was reported that much of her campaign money was given by out-of-state donors; Ehrlich remained on the attack while the lieutenant governor's poll numbers declined.

Though Maryland traditionally votes Democratic and had not elected a Republican governor in almost 40 years, Ehrlich won the race (52% of the vote to Townsend's 47%), becoming only the sixth Republican governor in state history, and the first since Spiro T. Agnew was elected in 1967.

Tenure as governor

Ehrlich said "fiscal responsibility, education, health and the environment, public safety, and commerce" were the "Five Pillars" of his administration. He opposed sales and income tax

Income tax

An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...

increases and supported legalization of slot machines to raise revenue.

Under Ehrlich's tenure, Maryland stayed 0.5% or more below the national unemployment average. The unemployment rate dropped significantly from 4.5% in 2003 to 3.9% in 2006, with an increase of 98,000 private sector jobs. He endorsed the Thornton Plan, which was passed by the Legislature in 2002 and named after Dr. Alvin Thornton

Alvin Thornton

Alvin Thornton is the chair of Howard University's political science department and has also been associate provost. He is a proponent of universal opportunity to conquer class discrepancy....

. In part, this plan would grant extra money to poorer school systems and those in areas with a higher cost of living. After pushing though the charter school law in Maryland, Ehrlich opened the first-ever public charter school (Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School), and his tenure saw the construction of 45 new schools, and full renovation of an additional 52 schools. He has invested record funding in Maryland Community Colleges as well as in Maryland's Historically Black Colleges.

Ehrlich established a position in his cabinet for people with disabilities: the Secretary of Disabilities became the first cabinet-level disabilities office in the nation. In 2006, he vetoed the "Fair Share Health Care Bill," also known as the WalMart Bill, which required businesses with more than 10,000 employees in the state (three of the four companies being WalMart, Northrop Grumman, & Giant) to either spend eight percent of payroll on employee health care, or pay that amount to a state health program for the uninsured. The reason for the nickname stemmed from the fact that WalMart was the only company in Maryland of that size that did not already provide affordable health insurance to its employees. On July 7, 2006, the Maryland law was overturned in federal court by U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz, who ruled that the law would "hurt Wal-Mart by imposing the administrative burden of tracking benefits in Maryland differently than in other states."

In 2004, Ehrlich signed the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, which funds upgrades of water treatment plants to reduce pollution discharge by a surcharge on business and residential water and septic bills. The resulting reduction in pollution into the bay was expected to meet approximately one-third of Maryland's obligations under the 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation described the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act as the most significant piece of legislation for the Bay in a generation.

Ehrlich appointed a cabinet-level Homeland Security

Homeland security

Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...

advisor. He opposed President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

's 2006 approval for a U.A.E.

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

firm to take control of six U.S. port operations, including those at the Port of Baltimore. (See Dubai Ports World controversy

Dubai Ports World controversy

The Dubai Ports World controversy began in February 2006 and rose to prominence as a national security debate in the United States. At issue was the sale of port management businesses in six major U.S...

).

In 2003, Ehrlich abandoned the "life means life" policy of his predecessor that precluded persons serving life sentences from eligibility for executive clemency. Ehrlich promised to evaluate each request for clemency on a case-by-case basis and was nationally recognized for his progressive approach that helped free wrongly convicted defendants.

In 2004, Ehrlich ended the moratorium

Moratorium (law)

A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....

on executions that was instituted by his predecessor in May 2002. (See capital punishment in Maryland

Capital punishment in Maryland

Capital punishment is a legal form of judicial punishment in the U.S. state of Maryland. It has been in use in the state — or more precisely, its predecessor colony — since June 20, 1638, when two men were hanged for piracy in St. Mary's County. A total of 309 people were executed by a variety of...

.) Under his tenure, two men were executed by the state; Ehrlich had denied clemency in both instances.

Although he was entitled to membership in the National Governors Association

National Governors Association

The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...

, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Republican Governors Association

Republican Governors Association

The Republican Governors Association is a Washington, D.C.-based 527 organization founded in 1963, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Republican Party.Its Democratic Party counterpart is the Democratic Governors Association...

, he was not actively involved in those organizations.

In 2006, he became a member of the Capital-to-Capital Coalition.

Ehrlich portrayed a Maryland state trooper

Maryland State Police

The Maryland State Police is the official state police force of the state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville CDP in unincorporated Baltimore County.-Organizational structure:...

in an episode of the HBO drama The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...

. The TV episode was entitled "That's Got His Own

That's Got His Own

"That's Got His Own" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series The Wire. Written by George Pelecanos from a story by Ed Burns & George Pelecanos, and directed by Joe Chappelle, it originally aired on December 3, 2006....

" and was broadcast December 3, 2006.

2006 gubernatorial election

Governor Ehrlich opted to seek a second term and did not face opposition in the Republican primary. When Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

The Lieutenant Governor of Maryland is the second highest ranking official in the executive branch of the state government of Maryland in the United States. He or she is elected on the same ticket as the Governor of Maryland and must meet the same qualifications.The current Lieutenant Governor is...

Michael Steele opted to run for Senate instead of seeking a second term on Ehrlich’s gubernatorial ticket, Ehrlich named Maryland Secretary of Disabilities Kristen Cox

Kristen Cox

Kristen Cox is a blind American politician and current Executive Director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Previously Cox served as Maryland Secretary of Disabilities. Kris Cox was the running mate of Maryland Governor Robert L...

, who was blind, as his running mate and was renominated by his party for a second term.

On November 7, 2006, Ehrlich was defeated for re-election in the 2006 gubernatorial election by Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley

Martin O'Malley

, who won 53% to Ehrlich's 46%. Ehrlich's term as governor expired at noon on January 17, 2007.

Between elections

A month after he left public office, Ehrlich and several aides from his administration opened a Baltimore-area office of North Carolina law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. His wife Kendel took a consulting job as a director of the BankAnnapolis.

In March 2007, Ehrlich endorsed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani

Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....

for the Presidency. He was the Chairman of Giuliani's Mid-Atlantic Campaign Committee.

Ehrlich and his wife hosted their own radio show on WBAL-AM

WBAL (AM)

WBAL is a news-talk radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WBAL broadcasts on a clear channel frequency with 50 kilowatts of power. Owned by the Hearst Corporation, WBAL's tri-mast transmitters are located in Randallstown, Maryland...

Radio every Saturday from 2007 to 2010.

2010 gubernatorial campaign

On March 30, Ehrlich announced that he would challenge incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley.

In June 2010, Ehrlich was endorsed by Terrapin basketball standout and Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...

NBA draft pick Greivis Vasquez

Greivis Vasquez

Greivis Vásquez is a Venezuelan basketball player with the Memphis Grizzlies, who selected him in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft. He was chosen after a stellar U.S. college career with the University of Maryland men's basketball team...

. Ehrlich was supported by Terps basketball coach Gary Williams

Gary Williams

Gary B. Williams is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. In 2002, he led Maryland to the NCAA Tournament Championship...

in past elections.

On June 30, 2010, Ehrlich announced that his running mate would be Mary Kane

Mary Kane

Mary D. Kane is a Maryland attorney who was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2010, as the running mate of Bob Ehrlich.-Education:...

, who had served under Governor Ehrlich as Secretary of State, August 2, 2005 to January 17, 2007, and also as Deputy Secretary of State and Chief Legal Counsel, March 2003 to August 2, 2005.

Ehrlich won the Republican primary but lost the general election to O'Malley, who had a solid lead in the polls through July 2010, stumbled for two months, and then resumed his lead that September. Analysts pointed to the Democratic registration advantage in Maryland, O'Malley's cash advantage and advertisements concerning Ehrlich's career as a lobbyist and links to "Big Oil".

E-mails between Ehrlich's PSC Chair and Industry Lawyers

In 2006, e-mails between Kenneth D. Schisler, Ehrlich's Public Service Commission chairman, and industry lawyers surfaced. The emails, which were authenticated by Schisler, "appear to show an industry lawyer's close connections with Schisler and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr." Schisler's many personnel changes on the commission included adding more "industry-friendly" members to replace more "consumer-friendly members," as reported by the Washington Post:

"Many of those fired – including the chief hearing examiner, chief engineer, director of accounting investigations, manager of external relations and public information officer – were longtime aides considered more consumer-friendly
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...

than those who replaced them."

Veto of the "Wal-Mart" Health Care Bill

In January 2006, the Maryland Legislature passed the controversial Fair Share Health Care Bill

Fair Share Health Care Act

Maryland Senate Bill 790, known as the Fair Share Health Care Act, also nicknamed the "Wal-Mart Bill", was a legislative act passed in the state of Maryland in 2005...

, over Ehrlich's veto. The bill attracted national attention because it made Maryland the first state to require very large corporations to either spend eight percent of their payroll on employee health care, or pay that amount to a state health-care fund. It became known as the "Wal-Mart Bill" because while it nominally applied to any corporation with more than 10,000 workers, in practice Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

was the only employer which met that threshold that did not already pay at least eight percent of their payroll on employee health care. Critics of the international discount chain claim that Wal-Mart's low wages force employees and their dependents to rely on state healthcare assistance. (See Wal-Mart Employee and Labor Relations).

Supporters of the bill claimed that this veto showed Ehrlich, whose official biography describes him as "unapologetically pro-business," had sided with "big corporate interests rather than Maryland's working families." For his part, Ehrlich called the bill the "first step toward government-run health care" by "anti-jobs lawmakers." He claimed that it would hurt low and middle-income consumers and was unfair to Wal-Mart and other businesses. In summer 2006, a federal judge struck down the legislation on the grounds that it violated federal law.

Slot machines

In light of Marylands' budget deficit and Ehrlich’s staunch opposition to raising taxes, he pursued slot machine

Slot machine

A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...

s as a means for raising state revenue. Ehrlich initially met with little success on the issue and the House of Delegates continually voted down legislation. In early 2005, however, both the House of Delegates and the State Senate

Maryland State Senate

The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland...

passed different sets of legislation allowing slot machines. Both bills varied too much for compromise, however, and died at the end of the legislative session.

Ehrlich cited his reasons for needing slot machines in Maryland by examining the surrounding states of West Virginia

West Virginia Lottery

The West Virginia Lottery is run by the government of West Virginia. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association . It offers games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch tickets...

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

and Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, all of which have legalized slot machines. He claimed that "hundreds of millions of dollars are lost to those states that could be kept in Maryland", and said that most of the money expected to be generated from the slot machines was earmarked for education (though often the state reduces education funding by the amount the lottery brings in, cancelling the lottery's

Maryland Lottery

The Maryland Lottery is an independent agency of the Maryland government. Its games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Multi-Match, Keno, Bonus Match 5, and numerous scratch tickets. The Maryland Lottery is headquartered in Suite 330 at 1800 Washington Boulevard, in Montgomery Business Park,...

purported goal). Much of the remaining funds were intended to support the state horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

industry and retain the Preakness

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...

at Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...

.

State House speaker Michael E. Busch

Michael E. Busch

Michael E. Busch is the current Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. Busch has been a member of the House since 1987, and Speaker since January 2003...

(D) opposed slot machines in Maryland and regularly clashed with State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.

Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.

Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, Jr. is the current president of the Maryland Senate. He has served as president since January 1987, and has been a state senator representing the 27th District since 1975....

(D). These actions divided both chambers of the Assembly as well as the Maryland Democratic party. Busch permitted passage of a bill allowing 9,500 slot machines.

Following the failure of the slots initiative, Ehrlich predicted that no further slots bills would be passed during the next legislative session, and that the issue would remain under the table until after the 2006 gubernatorial election. Some legislators tried to call a special session of the General Assembly to address slot machines.

In November 2008, a referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

passed with 59% voter approval, after a campaign heavily funded by gambling companies. Initially, 65% of the profits went to the casinos; it is planned that by 2018, this is to be tapered to 33%, with 48.5% of the profit directed to education.

Misleading voter guides and campaign mailers

On November 6, 2006, the day before the general election, Republican Gov. Ehrlich's and Lt. Gov. Steele's campaigns mailed a flier to a number of Prince George's County residents. The flier, a self-proclaimed "Ehrlich-Steele Democrats Official Voter Guide," though the candidates were actually Republican, was a sample ballot endorsing Ehrlich and Steele with a list of other politicians, all Democratic. The front cover of the mailer featured pictures of several current and former Democratic candidates for public office, with the text, "These Are Our Choices" and the implication that Ehrlich and Steele were Democrats.

For the election on November 7, 2006, Ehrlich's gubernatorial re-election campaign and Michael Steele's Maryland senatorial campaign recruited seven busloads of homeless Philadelphians to distribute misleading voter guides in Maryland. Each "official voter guide," headlined "Democratic Sample Ballot," had boxes checked beside Ehrlich's and Steele's names and those of Democratic candidates in other races, with photos of African-American Democratic leaders on the front. The fliers were handed out to mostly poor and African-American voters in Prince George's County. Workers said that first lady Kendel Ehrlich personally gave them T-shirts and hats and thanked them. However, Ehrlich claimed to be unaware that these workers were hired from Philadelphia. The campaign tactic was widely criticized by Democrats for misleading voters.

Many Democrats criticized the mailer as misleading, as it could imply that Ehrlich and Steele were Democrats. (The text on the back of the mailer encouraged Democrats to vote for Republican candidates, but the sample ballot itself made no direct mention of the candidates' party affiliations.) Others, including Kweisi Mfume

Kweisi Mfume

Kweisi Mfume is the former President/CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , as well as a five-term Democratic Congressman from Maryland's 7th congressional district, serving in the 100th through 104th Congress...

and Jack B. Johnson

Jack B. Johnson

Jack Bruce Johnson is an American politician who served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 2002 to 2010. On November 12, 2010, both Johnson and his wife were indicted on federal charges as part of a larger political corruption scandal in the county...

said that the featuring of three Prince George's County Democrats on the front of the mailer suggested that they all had endorsed Ehrlich and Steele, which was not the case.

Election history

! style="background:#ccc;"|Year
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!
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! style="background:#ccc;"|Party
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!
! style="background:#ccc;"|Opponent
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|-
|1994
|Congress, District 2
||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

| style="background:#def;"|74,275
| style="background:#def;"|37.23%
|
|colspan=4|
|-
|1996
|Congress, District 2
||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

| style="background:#def;"|88,344
| style="background:#def;"|38.17%
|
|colspan=4|
|-
|1998
|Congress, District 2
||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

| style="background:#def;"|64,474
| style="background:#def;"|30.67%
|
|colspan=4|
|-
|2000
|Congress, District 2
||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

| style="background:#def;"|81,591
| style="background:#def;"|31.33%
|
|colspan=4|
|-
|2002

Maryland gubernatorial election, 2002

-Democratic Party:*Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland*Robert Fustero, perennial candidate-Republican Party:*Bob Ehrlich, United States Representative from Maryland's 2nd congressional district*James J. Sheridan...

|Governor

Governor of Maryland

||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

| style="background:#def;"|Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...

| style="background:#ff9;"|11,546
| style="background:#ff9;"|0.68%
|
|-
|2006

Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006

The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. It was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The winning candidates -- Martin O'Malley and Anthony G. Brown, who defeated the incumbent Gov...

|Governor

Governor of Maryland

||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|825,464
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|46.2%
|
| style="background:#def;"|Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...

| style="background:#def;"|Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

Ed Boyd

Ed Boyd is a guitarist from Bath, England. He is best known as a long time member of the Celtic folk group Flook. He has also played in the group Red Ciel, and accompanied artists such as Kate Rusby, Karen Matheson and Michael McGoldrick....

| style="background:#9dff9d;"|Green

Green Party (United States)

The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...

| style="background:#9dff9d;"|15,551
| style="background:#9dff9d;"|0.9%
|
|-
|2010

Maryland gubernatorial election, 2010

The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. The date included the election of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and all members of the Maryland General Assembly. Incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley and Lieutenant Governor Anthony G...

|Governor

Governor of Maryland

||
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Robert Ehrlich
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|776,319
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|41.8%
|
| style="background:#def;"|Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...

| style="background:#def;"|Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

| style="background:#def;"|1,044,961
| style="background:#def;"|56.2%
|

External links

Bob Ehrlich official campaign site

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