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Bob Ehrlich

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Bob Ehrlich
Ehrlich in 2024
60th Governor of Maryland
In office
January 15, 2003 – January 17, 2007
LieutenantMichael Steele
Preceded byParris Glendening
Succeeded byMartin O'Malley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003
Preceded byHelen Bentley
Succeeded byDutch Ruppersberger
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 10th district
In office
January 14, 1987 – January 11, 1995
Preceded byThomas W. Chamberlain, Sr.[1]
Succeeded byEmmett C. Burns Jr.
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam
Joan Neverdon Parker[2]
Personal details
Born
Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr.

(1957-11-25) November 25, 1957 (age 66)
Arbutus, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1993)​
Children2
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Wake Forest University (JD)
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website (archived)
Bob Ehrlich's voice
Bob Ehrlich on the retirement of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken
Recorded October 2, 2001

Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr. (born November 25, 1957)[3] is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 60th governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, Ehrlich represented Maryland's 10th legislative district in the House of Delegates from 1987 to 1995 and Maryland's 2nd Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.[4]

Ehrlich was the first Republican to serve as governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew left office in 1969. He served one term before being defeated in his 2006 re-election bid by Democrat Martin O'Malley. In 2010, Ehrlich sought an unsuccessful rematch against O'Malley. Ehrlich then announced, via his website, that he would "return to private life." In October 2011, he was named chair of Mitt Romney's Maryland campaign for the 2012 Republican nomination for President.

Early life, career, and family

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Ehrlich was born in the Southwest Baltimore suburb of Arbutus, Maryland, the son of Nancy (Bottorf), a legal secretary, and Robert Leroy Ehrlich, a commission car salesman.[5][6] After attending Gilman School, he studied at Princeton University, where he attended on a partial scholarship and was captain of the football team and a member of the Cap and Gown Club. Ehrlich graduated from Princeton with an A.B. in politics in 1979 after completing a 140-page long senior thesis titled "Alexander Solzenitsyn: The Man and His Politics."[7] He continued on to law school, graduating from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1982.

After law school, Ehrlich worked for Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver, a Baltimore law firm, and became active in politics. In November 1986, Ehrlich won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing parts of Baltimore County from 1987 to 1995.

Personal

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He married Kendel Sibiski in 1993. They have two sons, Drew Robert Ehrlich and Joshua Taylor Ehrlich.[8][9]

As of 2013, he was a frequent guest on the Sports Junkies.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives (1995–2003)

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Ehrlich during his tenure in Congress

In 1993, 2nd district Representative Helen Delich Bentley announced she would be vacating her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ehrlich announced his candidacy for the open seat and won the election in November 1994. During his term, he introduced legislation aimed at helping disabled people maintain employment and supported harsher gun violence 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 co-chairman;[11] and the Congressional Steel Caucus. In 1999, He voted to remove president Bill Clinton from office during Clinton's impeachment trial.[12]

Ehrlich won all his elections in Congress by margins of at least 25%. He announced he would be forgoing reelection in 2002 to run for governor. He was succeeded by Dutch Ruppersberger.

2002 Maryland gubernatorial campaign

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Main article: 2002 Maryland gubernatorial election

In 2002, Democratic Governor Parris Glendening's second term was ending. 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 zealous environmental regulations; in addition, they believed that he did not give sufficient attention to their needs for infrastructure improvements (bridges, highways, etc.).

On March 15, 2002, Ehrlich announced his candidacy for the governorship. He attacked Glendening's record, tying his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, to him. Ehrlich promised, if elected, to increase school funding, balance the budget, and protect the Chesapeake Bay. His running mate was Michael Steele, an African-American and the chair of the Maryland Republican Party.

During the election, Townsend was criticized for her choice of running mate; she picked retired Admiral Charles R. Larson, a novice politician who had switched parties only a few weeks before. The Townsend campaign was also hurt by the unpopularity of Glendening, who had implemented a redistricting 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%). He was the sixth Republican governor in state history and the first since Spiro Agnew left office to take the Vice Presidency in 1969.

Governor of Maryland (2003–2007)

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At a Steps to a HealthierUS summit, c. 2004

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 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, aided by its proximity to the strong labor market associated with the national capital.[13]

Ehrlich established a Department of Disabilities within his cabinet for people with disabilities – the first such cabinet-level agency in the nation.[14][15]

In 2004, Ehrlich signed the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act:[16] it 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.[17]

Ehrlich opposed President George W. Bush's 2006 approval for a United Arab Emirates firm to take control of six U.S. port operations, including those at the Port of Baltimore.[18] (See Dubai Ports World controversy).

In 2006, Ehrlich signed a law banning police traffic ticket quotas.[19]

Veto of the "Wal-Mart" Health Care Bill

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In January 2006, Ehrlich vetoed the "Fair Share Health Care Bill," also known as the Walmart Bill,[20][21] which required businesses with more than 10,000 employees in the state (three of the four companies being Walmart, Northrop Grumman, and Giant) to either spend eight percent of payroll on employee health care, or pay that amount to a state health program for the uninsured.[20][21] The bill was commonly nicknamed after Walmart because it was the only company in Maryland of that size that did not already spend the requisite eight percent. Ehrlich, after consulting with counsel regarding the legal validity of the bill, vetoed the proposed legislation as it would run afoul of federal law. Despite this, and over the pleas of state representatives whose constituents benefited from Walmart's employment and feared a diminished presence in the state, the Democratic legislators of the Maryland Legislature passed the bill over Ehrlich's veto, in part leading to cancellation of the building of a Walmart distribution center in one of Maryland's poorest counties.

Critics of the international discount chain claimed that Wal-Mart's low wages force employees and their dependents to rely on state healthcare assistance. (See Wal-Mart Employee and Labor Relations). The bill's supporters claimed that the veto showed Ehrlich, whose official biography describes him as "unapologetically pro-business," had sided with "big corporate interests rather than Maryland's working families."[20] 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.[22] On July 7, 2006, the Maryland law was overturned in federal court by U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz, who ruled that the law violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974,[23] while also noting that it would "hurt Wal-Mart by imposing the administrative burden of tracking benefits in Maryland differently than in other states."[24][25]

2006 gubernatorial election

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Main article: 2006 Maryland gubernatorial election

Governor Ehrlich opted to seek a second term and did not face opposition in the Republican primary. On November 7, 2006, Ehrlich was defeated for re-election in the 2006 gubernatorial election by Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who won 53% to Ehrlich's 46%.[26] Ehrlich's term as governor expired at noon on January 17, 2007.[27]

Between elections

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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.[28]

In March 2007, Ehrlich endorsed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the US presidency. He was the Chairman of Giuliani's Mid-Atlantic Campaign Committee.[29]

Ehrlich and his wife hosted their own radio show on WBAL-AM Radio every Saturday from 2007 to 2010.[30][31] Governor Ehrlich has guest lectured at Towson University in Professor Richard Vatz's political persuasion class twice a year since 1993.[32][33]

2010 gubernatorial campaign

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Ehrlich campaigning for governor in 2010
Ehrlich receiving the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police
Main article: 2010 Maryland gubernatorial election

On March 30, Ehrlich announced that he would challenge incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley.[34][35]

In June 2010, Ehrlich was endorsed by Terrapin basketball standout and Memphis Grizzlies NBA draft pick Greivis Vásquez.[36] On June 30, 2010, Ehrlich announced that his running mate would be Mary Kane, 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.[37] He easily won the Republican primary.

His former lieutenant governor, then Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele, traveled to Maryland on his "Fire Pelosi" bus tour to endorse Ehrlich. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney also appeared at a fundraiser to endorse Ehrlich.[38] Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned in Maryland with Ehrlich, calling him "one of the best governors of all-time."[39]

In the general election, Ehrlich lost again to O'Malley 56% to 42%.

In December 2011, Ehrlich's 2010 campaign manager, Paul E. Schurick, was convicted of four counts of fraud and conspiracy concerning a scheme to suppress the black vote using 112,000 fraudulent robocalls, which discouraged voters from going to the polls.[40] Political consultant Julius Hensen was also convicted on one count.[41]

Support for presidential candidates

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In October 2011, Ehrlich was named chairman of Mitt Romney's Maryland campaign for election as president in 2012.[42]

After initially supporting John Kasich as a Republican candidate in the 2016 presidential primaries, Ehrlich endorsed nominee Donald Trump in May 2016.[43]

After politics

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Ehrlich with Larry Hogan in 2017

As of December 2020, Ehrlich was working as senior counsel in the Washington office of King & Spalding, a major corporate law firm, on the governmental advocacy and public policy (lobbying) team.[44]

In August 2022, the Maryland Republican Party announced that Ehrlich would lead its "2022 Victory Campaign" to support the party's nominees in that year's elections, including Dan Cox and Michael Peroutka.[45][46] He spent most of his tenure fundraising for the Maryland Republican Party as a whole.[47] Cox and Peroutka were defeated in a landslide by Democratic nominees Wes Moore and Anthony Brown in the general election on November 8, 2022.[48]

Election history

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Year Office Subject Party Votes Pct Opponent Party Votes Pct Opponent Party Votes Pct
1994 Congress, District 2 Robert Ehrlich Republican 125,162 63% Gerry Brewster Democratic 74,275 37%
1996 Congress, District 2 Robert Ehrlich Republican 143,075 62% Connie Dejuliis Democratic 88,344 38%
1998 Congress, District 2 Robert Ehrlich Republican 145,711 69% Kenneth Bosley Democratic 64,474 31%
2000 Congress, District 2 Robert Ehrlich Republican 178,556 69% Kenneth Bosley Democratic 81,591 31%
2002 Governor Robert Ehrlich Republican 879,592 52% Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Democratic 813,422 48% Spear Lancaster Libertarian 11,546 <1%
2006 Governor Robert Ehrlich Republican 825,464 46% Martin O'Malley Democratic 942,279 53% Ed Boyd Green 15,551 1%
2010 Governor Robert Ehrlich Republican 776,319 42% Martin O'Malley Democratic 1,044,961 56%

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns – MD State House 10 Race – Nov 04, 1986".
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns – MD State House 10 Race – Nov 06, 1990".
  3. ^ 2001-2002 Official Congressional Directory: 107th Congress
  4. ^ "Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Biographical Series; Governor of Maryland, 2003–2007 (Republican)". Archives of Maryland, MSA SC 3520-12125. Maryland State Government. June 5, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Maryland Governor". Msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  6. ^ Woestendiek, John (October 2, 2002). "The Good Sport". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Jr. (1979). "Alexander Solzenitsyn: The Man and His Politics". Princeton University.
  8. ^ "CPWN Newsletter" (PDF). cpwnet.org. Chesapeake Professional Women's Network. September 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  9. ^ Nitkin, David (April 23, 2004). "For baby Ehrlich, gifts of glitterati". mcall.com. The Morning Call. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  10. ^ Steinberg, Dan (December 4, 2013). "How the Junkies landed Rob Ford". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2015. they'd like him to pick NFL games, as other politicians – including former Maryland governor Bob Ehrlich – have long done for the show.
  11. ^ "This week's guest: Maryland Republican Rep. Robert Ehrlich". Fox News. August 10, 2001. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Merwin Jr., Jay G. (February 11, 1999). "Sarbanes could be vulnerable". The Baltimore Sun.
  13. ^ "Top Picks (Most Requested Statistics) : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics". Data.bls.gov. August 17, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  14. ^ "Department of Disabilities". Maryland State Archives. May 11, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  15. ^ Perl, Larry (April 16, 2015). "Former delegate Bill Frank appointed to disabilities department he helped create". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  16. ^ "Chesapeake Bay Restoration". Maryland Department of the Environment. Archived from the original on April 29, 2006. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  17. ^ "Governor Ehrlich interviewed by George S. Wills Archived June 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine". citybizlist. September 2005. URL retrieved on February 23, 2007.
  18. ^ "Bush Says He Will Veto Any Bill to Stop UAE Port Deal". Fox News. February 22, 2006.
  19. ^ "Maryland Bans Ticket Quotas". theNewspaper.com. October 4, 2006. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  20. ^ a b c Wagner, John; Barbaro, Michael (May 20, 2005). "Ehrlich Vetoes Health Care Bill Aimed at Wal-Mart". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  21. ^ a b Armour, Stephanie (January 13, 2006). "Maryland OKs 'Wal-Mart bill'". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  22. ^ "Statement from Governor Ehrlich on Wal-Mart Tax" (Press release). Maryland Office of the Governor. January 5, 2006. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006.
  23. ^ "Maryland Walmart Bill Loses Court Appeal".
  24. ^ "Md. 'Fair Share' law loses in court". United Press International. July 19, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  25. ^ Mosk, Matthew; Ylan Q. Mui (July 20, 2006). "'Wal-Mart Law' in Md. Rejected By Court: Measure Sought To Boost Workers' Health Benefits". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  26. ^ "Maryland Governor Race". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  27. ^ "Washington DC Local News, US & World, Business, Entertainment, Green News News | NBC Washington". Nbc4.com. September 1, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  28. ^ Green, Andrew A. "Ehrlich will join law firm Archived March 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine". The Baltimore Sun. February 22, 2007. URL retrieved on February 23, 2007.
  29. ^ "Former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich Endorses Giuliani Archived April 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine". Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee web site. March 22, 2007. URL retrieved on April 5, 2007.
  30. ^ Wagner, John (March 18, 2007). "Ehrlich Out of Office but Not Out of Sight". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  31. ^ "Robert and Kendel Ehrlich Show". radiotime.com. RadioTime. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  32. ^ Vatz, Richard E. (June 2015). "Curriculum Vitae". Towson University. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015. Governor Bob Ehrlich's addresses to my 'Persuasion' class at Towson twice a year 1993-present
  33. ^ Green, Andy (October 30, 2008). "Ehrlich: Definitely not running (right now...)". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 28, 2015. The former guv spent the afternoon at Towson U. professor Rick Vatz's class, as he has many times before
  34. ^ Wagner, John (March 30, 2010). "Ehrlich plans rematch with O'Malley in Md. governor's race". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  35. ^ "Ex-Gov. Ehrlich Doesn't Rule Out U.S. Senate Bid". wjz.com. CBS Corporation. Associated Press. March 16, 2010. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  36. ^ "Video: Greivis Vasquez Supports Bob Ehrlich for Governor". bobehrlich.com. June 25, 2010. Archived from the original on October 8, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  37. ^ "Mary D. Kane, Maryland Secretary of State". Msa.md.gov. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  38. ^ "Mitt Romney Endorses Bob Ehrlich At Red, White & Blue Dinner". June 12, 2010.
  39. ^ Walker, Childs (October 30, 2010). "Ehrlich turns campaign into feisty counterattack". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  40. ^ Wagner, John (December 6, 2011). "Ex-Ehrlich campaign manager Schurick convicted in robocall case". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  41. ^ "Jury Finds Julius Hensen Guilty Of Conspiracy For Leaving Off Authority Line In Robocall Case", CBS Local-WJZ, May 11, 2012
  42. ^ "Mitt Romney Announces Governor Bob Ehrlich as Chairman and RNC Committeeman Louis Pope as Co-Chair of Maryland Campaign". mittromney.com. Romney for President. October 21, 2011. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  43. ^ Dresser, Michael (May 12, 2016). "Ehrlich, former Kasich backer, endorses Trump to defeat Clinton". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  44. ^ "Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr". King & Spalding. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  45. ^ Wiggins, Ovetta (August 2, 2022). "Md. Republicans call for unity as Cox, Peroutka bids inflame rift". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  46. ^ Swift, Tim (August 1, 2022). "Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. to campaign for Maryland GOP candidates". WBFF. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  47. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (August 8, 2022). "Ehrlich to focus on fundraising, not cheerleading, for GOP candidates this fall". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  48. ^ "Maryland election results 2022". The Washington Post. December 7, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
[edit]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 2nd congressional district
1995–2003 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Maryland
2002, 2006, 2010 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Maryland
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former Governor Order of precedence of the United States Succeeded byas Former Governor
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Ehrlich&oldid=1254170657"