Former Governor Robert Ehrlich’s entry into the Maryland gubernatorial race has Howard Republicans excited, hoping that his campaign against Democrat Governor Martin O’Malley will help them by boosting interest in local races and by bringing more voters to the polls. Donald Norris, chair and professor of public policy, disagrees. Ehrlich’s lack of political coattails is fact, not speculation, said Norris, who said jokingly that his views were “famous last words eight months before an election.” In Howard County, Norris, a county resident, said, “I sense that people are satisfied with Ulman and are not upset about much of anything.”
The article, “Ehrlich Candidacy Energizes Howard Republicans,” ran Sunday, April 11, in the Baltimore Sun.
Ehrlich and O’Malley are rushing to spin this year’s legislative session into campaign sound bites. While Ehrlich and other Republican leaders are suggesting that O’Malley’s budgeting is unsustainable, Norris said he thinks O’Malley might emerge from this session “somewhat stronger, politically” because he has managed to balance the budget without deeper cuts or tax increases. He is also getting credit for a handful of successes, including getting tough on sex offenders. “His budget was largely unscathed, and there were no tax increases. In these times, that’s not a small achievement,” Norris said.
The article, “O’Malley, Ehrlich Spin End of Maryland Session,” ran Wednesday, April 14, in the Washington Post.
umbcinsightsweekly.wordpress.com 