Ehrlich is the GOP's best chance for Maryland gubernatorial bid

Let's begin with a simple question: Who was the last Republican governor of Maryland? Got nothing? Perhaps a better question would be, who is the current governor of Maryland? That distinction goes to Mr. Parris N. Glendening, a banjo-twanging hillbilly from the backwaters of Florida who became popular as a professor at the University of Maryland. Surely the governor before him was a Republican, or perhaps before him, or before him? Nope, the last one was in 1966, and his name was Spirow Agnew. (whose name, incidentally, can be rearranged to spell "grow a penis") Apparently the fine people of Maryland are still sore about crooked ol' Spirow embarrassing their state, because they haven't had a Republican governor since.

In the fall of 2002, the people of Maryland will select a new leader to sit in Annapolis. Glendening, after eight years of incompetence, will thankfully step down because of the state's term limit laws. The early favorite seems to be his Lieutenant governor, Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend. The "Kennedy" in her name isn't a strange coincidence - she's a direct descendant of what has become the Kennedy political machine. They're everywhere: Massachusetts, Maryland, even Rhode Island! She will likely face a determined Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley during the democratic primaries, but most agree her only serious competition will come in the general elections when she faces Robert L. Ehrlich, the likely Republican nominee.

For his part, Ehrlich hasn't officially announced his plans to run for governor. The announcement should come on Fri., March 15, thus ensuring at least a relatively competitive race in the fall. Ehrlich currently represents the second district of Maryland in the House of Representatives. The second is primarily centered in Baltimore County and includes parts of Harford County as well. Though his district is largely Democratic, Bob has been able to win four terms of service with over 70 percent of the vote. An ex-football star at nearby Gilman, Bob went off to Princeton after graduation, only to become a four-year starter and the captain as a senior. His all-American image, coupled with sound policies of a Republican willing to work across the aisle, has labeled Erlich an "up and comer" among the GOP ranks.

While Republicans from Frederick to Ocean City are in high spirits over Ehrlich's upcoming announcement, the mere entrance of the former state delegate will not be enough to rattle the confident Kennedy-Townsend. She has effectively been 'running' for governor for the last four years and has the huge private contribution war chest to prove it. From a policy standpoint, it's tough to find a place to put Kennedy-Townsend on the political spectrum. This is due in large part to the fact that the woman HAS NO POLICY. Simply put, Kennedy-Townsend has not stood up for a single issue in the last four years that may have been even mildly construed as 'controversial.' Her most valuable asset has been, and will continue to be, her surname - and I don't mean 'Townsend.'

Despite huge disparities in policy and general likeability however, Townsend-Kennedy will have a leg-up in the early stages of the race for governor. Maryland is made up of 25 percent minorities, with a concentration of 65 percent in the city of Baltimore. She will rely heavily upon the black vote, as well as the voters in the affluent Washington-suburbs of Montgomery County. Mr. Ehrlich will concentrate his efforts in the western part of the state, and hope to continue his crossover success with Democrats that has allowed him to get as far as he has in liberal Maryland.

Why, you ask, is any of this Maryland political jargon important to you? Sure, I know that students at this school are mostly from New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Taiwan, but now that you live in this community, you have a responsibility as a citizen to take part in the democratic process. I had to walk 5 blocks down Greenmount during the 2000 elections to vote for George W. Bush. Needless to say, the election wasn't close in Maryland, but I still found it my civic duty to become educated and vote for the best candidate. This fall, think about doing the same.