2006 Maryland gubernatorial election
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| Turnout | 57.53%  4.32%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results O'Malley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Ehrlich: 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Maryland |
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 Government |
The 2006 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich ran for a second term, but was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley. Ehrlich was the only incumbent governor from either party to lose a general election in the 2006 midterms.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore
Campaign
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan emerged as the two Democratic candidates for governor in late 2005. Early polling indicated that O'Malley would have the advantage in both the Democratic primary and the general election, with a solid lead over Duncan in the primary and a several point lead over Ehrlich in the general.[2]
As the gubernatorial campaign intensified, Duncan withdrew from the race, citing his diagnosis with clinical depression. In the same announcement, he threw his support behind O'Malley and declined to seek another office in the fall. No other Democratic candidate had announced, so O'Malley was unopposed in the primary election.
O'Malley selected Anthony Brown, a black State Delegate from Prince George's County and a veteran of the Iraq War, as his running mate.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin O'Malley | 524,671 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 524,671 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Bob Ehrlich, incumbent Governor
Campaign
Ehrlich sought a second term as governor and did not face opposition at any point in the Republican primary. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele ran for the U.S. Senate instead of seeking a second term as lieutenant governor, so Ehrlich named Maryland Secretary of Disabilities Kristen Cox, who is blind, as his running mate.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ehrlich (incumbent) | 213,744 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 213,744 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore (D)
- Bob Ehrlich, incumbent Governor of Maryland (R)
- Ed Boyd, temporary employment agency recruiter (G)
- Christopher A. Driscoll (P)
Campaign
Elected to his first term in 2002, incumbent Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich ran for a second term as governor, opposed by the Democratic nominee, Martin O'Malley, the Mayor of Baltimore. Both candidates emerged from uncontested primary elections and a contentious election season began.
Early in the campaign, Ehrlich boasted decent approval ratings from Maryland citizens, with a Gonzalez Research poll taken during October 2005 showing him with a 49% approval rating.[2] and a Baltimore Sun poll from November 2005 giving the Governor a 50% approval and a 33% disapproval.[4] However, the unpopularity of the national Republican Party and President George W. Bush dragged Ehrlich's re-election chances down.[citation needed]
Ehrlich launched attack ads that hit O'Malley on crime in Baltimore under his tenure as Mayor, calling the murder rate in Baltimore "awful" and "an embarrassment to the state of Maryland."[5] O'Malley countered with one television ad that featured testimonials from local community leaders, Howard County Executive James N. Robey, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr.[6] and another ad that attacked Ehrlich for breaking his promise to end parole for violent criminals.[7]
The Washington Post and The Washington Times both endorsed Ehrlich in his bid for re-election, with the Times praising Ehrlich's "brand of moderate conservatism that offers a refreshing contrast" to the state's historically Democratic leanings[8] and the Post called him "a generally proficient, pragmatic governor" and praised him for "successes on transportation, the environment and education."[9]
In turn, The Baltimore Sun endorsed O'Malley, saying, "the progress under the mayor's tenure is clear and irrefutable", and that he addressed "rising crime, failing schools and shrinking economic prospects."[10] O'Malley also called upon the praise given to him by TIME Magazine when they named him one of the country's "Top 5 Big City Mayors."[11]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[12] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[13] | Lean D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[14] | Lean D (flip) | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[15] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
Polling
| Source | Date | Martin O'Malley (D) |
Bob Ehrlich (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[permanent dead link] | November 5, 2006 | 50% | 47% |
| Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | November 1, 2006 | 47% | 46% |
| Wall Street Journal/Zogby | October 31, 2006 | 49.3% | 43.9% |
| Public Opinion Strategies | October 31, 2006 | 46% | 45% |
| Rasmussen | October 30, 2006 | 50% | 47% |
| Washington Post | October 29, 2006 | 55% | 45% |
| Rasmussen | October 17, 2006 | 53% | 45% |
| USA TODAY/Gallup | October 6, 2006 | 53% | 41% |
| Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | September 24, 2006 | 50% | 44% |
| Survey USA | September 20, 2006 | 51% | 44% |
| Rasmussen | September 20, 2006 | 49% | 42% |
| Wall Street Journal/Zogby | September 11, 2006 | 52.5% | 39.6% |
| Wall Street Journal/Zogby | August 28, 2006 | 52.0% | 42.2% |
| Rasmussen | August 18, 2006 | 50% | 43% |
| [1] | August 14, 2006 | 41% | 41% |
| Wall Street Journal/Zogby | July 24, 2006 | 51.3% | 42.2% |
| Rasmussen | July 17, 2006 | 49% | 42% |
| Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | July 16, 2006 | 46% | 38% |
| The Washington Post | June 25, 2006 | 51% | 40% |
| Wall Street Journal/Zogby | June 21, 2006 | 53.1% | 39.2% |
| Opinion Works | April 27, 2006 | 46% | 37% |
| Rasmussen | April 21, 2006 | 51% | 42% |
| Gonzales Research Archived 2006-04-20 at the Wayback Machine | April 18, 2006 | 46% | 41% |
| Rasmussen | January 13, 2006 | 42% | 47% |
| Wall Street Journal/Zogby | January 13, 2006 | 53% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Archived 2005-11-25 at the Wayback Machine | November 22, 2005 | 46% | 40% |
| Baltimore Sun | November 6, 2005 | 48% | 33% |
| Baltimore Sun[permanent dead link] | October 25, 2005 | 48% | 42% |
| Rasmussen Archived 2005-10-31 at the Wayback Machine | July 18, 2005 | 41% | 46% |
| Baltimore Sun[permanent dead link] | April 17, 2005 | 45% | 39% |
| Baltimore Sun[permanent dead link] | January 2005 | 40% | 40% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin O'Malley | 942,279 | 52.69% | +5.02% | |
| Republican | Bob Ehrlich (incumbent) | 825,464 | 46.16% | −5.39% | |
| Green | Ed Boyd | 15,551 | 0.87% | N/A | |
| Populist | Christopher Driscoll | 3,481 | 0.19% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 1,541 | 0.09% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 1,788,316 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
- ^ "2006 Gubernatorial General Election - County-Wide Turnout". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Democrat support plunges for Ehrlich". The Washington Times.
- ^ a b "Official 2006 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Governor / Lt. Governor". elections.maryland.gov.
- ^ Nitkin, By Andrew A. Green and David. "An early edge for Ehrlich's rivals". baltimoresun.com.
- ^ Wagner, John (2006-09-30). "Ehrlich Ads Hammer O'Malley on Crime". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ "Martin O'Malley 2005 TV Ad: The Real Record in Baltimore". Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Martin O'Malley 2005 TV Ad: The Real Question". Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Ehrlich for governor, Steele for Senate". The Washington Times.
- ^ "For Governor in Maryland". washingtonpost.com. October 25, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-02-14.
- ^ "O'Malley for governor". articles.baltimoresun.com. October 29, 2006. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01.
- ^ Thompson, Mark (April 25, 2005). "Wonk 'n' Roller". time.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-16.
- ^ "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
- ^ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "Official 2006 Gubernatorial General Election results for Governor / Lt. Governor". elections.maryland.gov.
External links
- Official list of candidates provided by the State of Maryland Board of Elections[permanent dead link]
- Official re-election website of Governor Ehrlich
- Official election website of Martin O'Malley
